A big-time three-team NBA trade went down on Saturday night. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings are acquiring De’Andre Hunter from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Two players are making their way to Cleveland — Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Balancing things out are the Chicago Bulls, adding Dario Saric and a couple of second-round picks to their asset pool.
“BREAKING: The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, sources tell ESPN,” Charania said via X. “The three-team deal includes the Chicago Bulls acquiring Kings forward Dario Saric and two future second-round picks.”
Hunter is on the move for the second consecutive season. He began last year playing for the Atlanta Hawks before getting acquired by the Cavaliers. Cleveland making this trade means Hunter will be flying across the country for his new home, heading to the state capital of California.
Some nice numbers have been put up by Hunter in a Cavs uniform. Hunter is averaging 14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Shooting inside of the three-part arc has been a major positive, making over 50%. His percentage does drop when stepping a little further back, currently sitting at 30.8% from three.
Another change Hunter will be experiencing is quite a difference in standings. Cleveland is currently the Eastern Conference’s four-seed at eight games over .500. Sacramento is on the opposite end of the spectrum, holding the NBA’s worst record.
The Cavs have to like what is heading their way, though. Ellis might turn out to be the prize of the entire trade after working his way into an NBA regular with the Kings. Scoring is not where Ellis is going to make most of his money, instead being an important asset on the defensive end.
A little more offense is going to come from the other player heading to The Land, Schroder. He scored just over 12 points per game, shooting 40.8% from the field. Cleveland already holds one of the best scoring averages in basketball, just adding to the talent pool. Quite the add to get ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Thursday is the official deadline, with deals needing to be done by Feb. 5. Plenty more are expected to be on the way, with multiple big names currently in the rumor mill. This three-team deal should be just the beginning for an exciting few days in the NBA.