At the stroke of the midnight hour, De’Andre Hunter found himself freed from an Atlanta Hawks team that had been trying to trade him for years. With the Cleveland Cavaliers as his new employer, the former fourth overall pick now has an opportunity to help a certified title-contender for the first time in his NBA career.
With that being said, while the Hawks have kept Hunter’s names in trade rumors since signing him to an extension, they may have found it particularly difficult to part with him this season. Coming out of the gates firing, he’s averaged a career-high 19.0 points per game in 2024-25. As a result, Hunter was a prized player during this season’s trade deadline negotiations.
Considering how the Cavs traded two rotation players and three second-round picks for him, that might have been obvious. Nevertheless, the package could’ve been better. The Hawks seem to know this as well.
“I heard Atlanta “pushed hard for Jaylon Tyson and/or Craig Porter Jr. to be part of the deal,” per cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto. “The Cavs insisted they keep their young players, knowing they also need to build a roster for the future.” Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor makes note of the fact that the Hawks tried to acquire Cleveland’s 2031 first-round pick as well.
Cavs Refused Hawks 2 Young Players In De’Andre Hunter Trade
Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter Jr. aren’t household names. Yet, even if they weren’t both solid all-around players, it makes sense for the Hawks to have insisted upon their inclusion. As a middling team for the past couple of seasons, Atlanta has been trying to determine the best pathway forward. Thus far, it’s led them into a semi-rebuild.
Trae Young remains on the roster and Jalen Johnson signed a long-term extension in October. However, the Hawks have traded away Hunter, Dejounte Murray, and Bogdan Bogdanovic over the past year. All three were once deemed key to their playoff hopes. The Hawks have also replaced Clint Capela with Onyeka Okongwu, betting on the boost his young legs can bring.
Because of the state of the franchise, players like Tyson and Porter –both of whom are under 25 years old –are instantly more attractive. With that being said, Cleveland views Hunter as a prized piece of their championship puzzle, unlike Porter or Tyson. As a result, the Hawks might have been better off playing hardball, as they had the leverage in negotations.
Instead, they accepted a pick-heavy package laced with veterans. With that being said, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang can help Atlanta remain competitive but there’s still a talent drop-off. Hunter has undoubtedly been superior to both LeVert and Niang this season; more essential to his team. Honestly, he’s been better than Niang throughout his career.
A Performative Playoff Push
The Hawks may put up the good fight in an effort to clinch a postseason berth, but it feels performative. To that point, Atlanta didn’t have much hope of making a deep playoff run before the trade deadline. They seem to have even less of one now.
Porter or Tyson likely wouldn’t have helped them any more than LeVert or Niang this season. However, they’re players who are still in development mode, which makes them a long-term asset. That can’t be said of LeVert or Niang, who are both on the wrong side of 30. Especially with LeVert on an expiring contract.
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