The Cleveland Cavaliers' mediocre season screams for action before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but that doesn't mean it'll happen. NBA insider Jake Fischer's latest intel on Cleveland (from Jan. 13) suggested that the Cavs are planning to take a wait-and-see approach right up to the eleventh hour.
Fischer's reporting corroborates other indications that Cleveland's front office still has faith in the team's core four to return to some semblance of its 2024-25 form. That, of course, had the Cavs contending.
Interestingly, Fischer did say that if Cleveland underperforms badly in January, that same front office might listen to incoming offers for Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and De'Andre Hunter. Hunter would be the most logical trade chip of the three.
De'Andre Hunter will be the first to go in Cleveland — if anyone is traded
The Cavs traded for Hunter last February to come in and be the dynamic, two-way wing that Cleveland's so desperately needed (but never had) in the Donovan Mitchell era. Unfortunately, Hunter's fit has never felt comfortable, and his sample size in a Cavs uniform (64 regular season games, eight playoff games) has approached an informative-enough threshold.
For whatever reason, Hunter's 3-point shot has completely fallen off this season. He's down to 30.7 percent from 3 in 2025-26, much lower than his career 36.6 number. Taking 5.5 attempts per game, Hunter's frigid spell is a big reason why the Cavs are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league.
Hunter's struggles wouldn't be that much of a pain if he were making Sam Merrill money, but he happens to be costing the Cavs triple that. Hunter's $23.3 million cap hit this season is fourth on Cleveland's roster, behind only Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Garland (and ahead of Allen).
At 28 years old, Hunter still has a ton of value. His play in Atlanta still resonates, and let's not forget that he finished fourth in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season.
He's an obvious change-of-scenery guy who'd probably thrive somewhere else. It's extremely rare to find an NBA player who would fit seamlessly with all 30 teams.
Kenny Atkinson and the Cavs' coaching staff isn't hiding from the reality of Hunter's iffy fit. Cleveland is now experimenting with Jaylon Tyson in the starting five instead of Hunter, and it's reaped good early results. Hunter actually outscored Tyson (and took more shots) in Wednesday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers, despite playing three fewer minutes and coming off the bench.
Hunter has started 28 of his 64 regular-season games with the Cavs, but maybe Atkinson is realizing that a permanent bench role is really the way to maximize De'Andre.
That doesn't mean he won't be traded, but it still feels like Cleveland's going to stand pat overall. The team has won six of its last nine, and a similar winning percentage between now and the deadline will surely give the front office the excuse it needs to do nothing.