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Cavs Blockbuster Trade Brings In Much Needed Help At Forward
Source: Jason Miller / Getty
It took til the NBA trade deadline, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have added some much-needed help at the forward position.
The Cavs traded for De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Hunter, 27, is in his sixth NBA season. His 19 points per game is a career-high. He also nets 39.3% of his threes.
Cleveland has an NBA-best record of 41-10. However, they haven’t had a starting small forward with above average size since LeBron James departed in 2019. The move also allows Cavs reserves Ty Gerome and Max Struss to settle into the second unit, while giving Cleveland one of the most skilled starting-5 lineups in the entire NBA.
From ESPN:
Hunter has been one of the best scorers off the bench in the NBA this season. His 18 20-point games off the bench are the most in the NBA, and he leads the league with 18.9 points off the bench.
Hunter is in the second season of a four-year, $90 million extension he signed with the Hawks in 2023.
When it comes to catch-and-shoot 3s – Cleveland ranks as the best in the NBA. This move for Hunter should only bolster that. He ranks 13th in the league in catch-and-shoot 3s.
LeVert spent four years in Cleveland and was one of the NBA’s best bench-scorers during his tenure.
The sportsbooks also agree that the Hunter addition is a good one for Cleveland. Prior to the trade, according to DraftKings, the Cavs were +900 to win a championship this year. Since the trade, those odds have improved to +800.
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