The NBA’s trade season is
officially here.
In the first major move
approaching this year’s trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers
have traded forward De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in
exchange for guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, as reported by
ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Furthermore, the trade will
include the Chicago Bulls acquiring Kings forward Dario Saric and
two future second-round picks.
ANALYSIS: The Cavaliers turned
Hunter’s slot for more guard depth by acquiring Schroder and Ellis.
Schroder slots in immediately as the team’s veteran backup point
guard behind Donovan Mitchell, while Ellis is a stingy on-ball
guard defender that can shoot the three, easily playing alongside
Mitchell as well.
This move for Cleveland likely
comes from the emergence of second-year forward Jaylon Tyson this
season, who is currently averaging 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and
2.4 assists on 51.4% shooting from the field and a blistering 46.3
percent from three.
This move should be a win-win
situation as well for the Kings as they acquire a two-way forward
on a relatively manageable contract with his current production in
consideration. Hunter will join the Kings’ roster full of promising
players around Domantas Sabonis, as they try to navigate this
season and build winning habits while trying to secure a high draft
pick in next year’s draft.
Hunter will now be alongside
players like Keegan Murray, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud with
veterans DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Russell Westbrook, as the
Kings’ roster is starting to take shape moving forward.