Ahead of Thursday’s 3PM (EST) deadline, the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a trade that will send former fourth overall pick De’Andre Hunter to Northeast Ohio. In return, Georgia’s squad will acquire Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two pick swaps.
Hawks, Cavs Agree To De’Andre Hunter Trade Before Deadline
In a vacuum, the Cavs appear to have received the best player in the trade, as Hunter is averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game. For reference, LeVert (10.2) and Niang (8.7) don’t score 19.0 points per game combined.
The Atlanta Hawks are trading forward De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5fpE4LJzpK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
Notably, there were rumblings that the 2025 Sixth Man of the Year favorite was classified as untouchable. That being said, after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most surprising trades of all-time, how could anyone be sure they were safe? Much less a player who has constantly been involved in trade rumors?
In any case, Hunter arrives in Cleveland at a time in which they lead the Eastern Conference at 41-10. In fact, the Cavs have the best win-loss record in the league. As a result, they’ve catapulted themselves from the realm of playoff contenders. For the first time since LeBron James left Cleveland for Los Angeles, they legitimately appear capable of winning an NBA title.
Their chances have elevated after they gave themselves more of a scoring punch than LeVert or Niang were able to. It should be noted that Hunter is a far sturdier defender than Niang as well. For that reason, the draft assets that they surrendered for the combo forward are worth it.
What’s Next For The Hawks?
It’s unclear where the Hawks go from here.
On the one hand, All-Star guard Trae Young is ultra-competitive, hoping to bring a championship to Atlanta. On the other hand, rising star Jalen Johnson –his second-in-command —has been ruled out for the remainder of 2024-25. When at the crossroads, the Hawks then made the decision to trade Hunter, who has been their leading scorer in multiple games this season.
Thus, it would seem like they’re tanking. Yet, the San Antonio Spurs own the Hawks’ first-round pick in 2025. Not only that but the pick is unprotected, giving them no incentive to purposely lose games.
If this was the LeVert gave teams more of a spark offensively early in his career, it might be different. However, he averaged just 12.5 points per game with the Cavs. Furthermore, he’s on the final season of his contract, which was likely attractive to an Atlanta team constantly considering cost-cutting measures.
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