2 pros, 2 cons of Cleveland Cavaliers trading for De'Andre Hunter

Pro No. 2 - Another starter-caliber talent

Perhaps the most interesting part of adding De'Andre Hunter is his role upon arrival in Cleveland's rotation. When healthy, the Cavs have implemented a starting five of Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley and Allen. This lineup has played together for a total of 145 minutes with a net rating of 4.5 in those minutes. With such a small sample size due to injury, it is hard to know exactly how well these players fit with one another.

If Hunter joins the fray, he no doubt enters a competition with Strus for the starting three spot. Both players are viewed as starting-caliber wings, and Strus has undeniably been one of Cleveland's most reliably impactful talents overall as a volume shooter and hardened defender. Hunter's main advantage over Strus is his height, which would reasonably help cover for the Cavs' undersized starting backcourt. Strus, however, has vastly more playoff experience and is already fully integrated into the rotation.

In a league full of teams with players of Strus' and Hunter's archetype at the top of their wish list every trade deadline and offseason, the issue of finding the right fit for the starting roster is a good problem to have. Regardless of who starts, Cleveland's bench roster becomes undeniably more dangerous, especially once the postseason arrives and teams only rely on a maximum eight-to-nine players on any given night.

During last year's playoff defeat to the New York Knicks, Cleveland's poor depth played a significant role in their speedy downfall. The versatility and depth the Cavaliers would hold with Strus, Hunter, LeVert and Wade as their wing and forward rotation players would be an inarguable upgrade. If the Cavs want to convince Mitchell to sign an extension this summer, improving the playoff rotation is the best way to do that.