De'Andre Hunter felt like an important addition at last year's NBA trade deadline for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former Atlanta Hawks forward filled a clear void with his presence. The problem for his long-term future is Jaylon Tyson is doing everything he was supposed to — and better.
After the Cavaliers won their fifth-straight game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday by a dominant 129-99 final score, Chris Fedor dropped an eye-opening comment on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast that followed. Hunter is far from safe.
Fedor said, "I'm told that the Cavs continue to have talks with a bunch of teams about De'Andre. I had a source reach out to me earlier today. He said De'Andre Hunter is 'very available.' These conversations that the Cavs are having with these other teams aren't just cursory conversations."
The Cavaliers insider would further describe the Hunter trade talks as 'engaged' with the interested suitors. Fedor believe there 'could be a pathway to a trade' for Cleveland. None of that would be possible without Tyson.
Jaylon Tyson's breakout has made De'Andre Hunter expendable
Tyson had another terrific performance on Wednesday. The second-year pro finished with 20 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, six rebounds and six assists. The Cavs wing finished second on the team in plus/mins with +29, only trailing Sam Merrill (+31).
Funny enough, it was one of Hunter's better games too. The Cavs forward notched 19 points off the bench.
At this point, though, the Cavaliers' wing depth looks pretty solid, especially considering Max Strus is still due to return. Cleveland could use help in the frontcourt and the backcourt. There are some pretty good ways to do that using Hunter's $23.3 million salary for 2025-26.
The biggest obstacle for the Cavaliers would be how much that contract may actually be working against them at this point. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently suggested Hunter is actually being viewed as a negative asset around the league due to his injury history and cap figure.
If the Cavs can find a team who does not believe that to be the case, one would imagine they make any deal that brings a needed upgrade. Tyson has given them that flexibility with his excellent second-year campaign.
The Cavs sophomore should be permanently locked in as the starting small forward for the team moving forward. That ascension for Tyson has made Hunter a luxury, not a necessity. For a second apron team, any wasted money gets put under a microscope immediately.