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Instead of being satisfied, Cleveland Cavs go for it with De'Andre Hunter trade | Ulrich
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- Instead of being satisfied, Cleveland Cavs go for it with De'Andre Hunter trade | Ulrich
CLEVELAND — De'Andre Hunter took a dribble handoff from Evan Mobley at the top of the key, drained a 3-pointer with 9:54 left in the second quarter and hopped into a body bump with Darius Garland as the crowd roared at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse .
Earlier, a getting-to-know-you video featuring Hunter played on the Humongotron with 6:59 remaining in the first quarter, and the newest Cavaliers player received a loud ovation.
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Hunter didn't believe those moments would be possible because he couldn't envision the Cavs dealing for him prior to the NBA trade deadline expiring on Feb. 6.
Bravo, Koby Altman , for proving him wrong. Bravo.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) stands on the court in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland.
The Cavs crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-107 on Monday night in Hunter's debut with Cleveland . He started at small forward while Max Strus sat out with a sore right ankle and finished with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field (3 of 4 on 3-pointers) with one steal in 23 minutes.
A single outing in February means virtually nothing. Coach Kenny Atkinson estimated it will take Hunter three to four games to feel comfortable and the Cleveland staff 10 to 15 games to gain a deep understanding of who he is and how he fits with the Cavs (43-10).
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More on De'Andre Hunter's Cavs debut: How many points did new Cavs player score against the Timberwolves?
Still, the concept of what Hunter can do for the Cavs doesn't take much squinting to see. They held the Timberwolves (30-24) to 0-of-16 shooting from the field out of the gate and 2-of-21 shooting from the floor in the opening quarter. Cleveland led 30-12 at the end of the first quarter in its wire-to-wire win.
The Cavs became the first NBA team this season to allow fewer than three field goals in an opening quarter. A large part of the equation is Minnesota simply couldn't buy a bucket, but Atkinson insisted he felt Hunter's activity and size making a difference.
Cavs vs. Timberwolves recap: Cleveland Cavaliers roll to win as De'Andre Hunter debuts
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Hunter is a 6-foot-8, 221-pound wing who had been identified by oddsmakers as one of the league's top two Sixth Man of the Year candidates this season with the Atlanta Hawks . With the Cavs, he gives Atkinson invaluable versatility to deploy on both ends of the floor.
Yet, Hunter conceded his crystal ball didn't show him he would be secured by Altman, Cleveland's president of basketball operations.
"I didn't think it was going to happen, honestly, especially since they had the best record," Hunter said. "I didn't think they needed any help."
At the time of Thursday's trade, the Cavs were 41-10 and sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings. Hunter figured the organization would conclude, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
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Cavs players had a similar feeling. In the buildup to the deadline, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said the Cavs had what they needed to achieve their goals without making a trade, and center Jarrett Allen said a deal would "disrupt" Cleveland's highly touted locker-room chemistry.
Altman, however, didn't rest on regular-season laurels or lean too heavily on good vibes. He projected what the Cavs would be in the playoffs if the status quo were maintained and compared it with a post-trade version of the team.
Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, center, accepts the professional athlete of the year award on behalf of Donovan Mitchell as Tony Rizzo, left, and Daniel Gibson look on during the 25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
As Altman said Feb. 7, the Cavs are "all in" on trying to win now, so he attempted to upgrade the roster by sending guard Caris LeVert , forward Georges Niang , three second-round draft choices and two pick swaps to the Hawks in exchange for Hunter.
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"What's possible is championship," said Mobley, an All-Star forward who compiled 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, four blocked shots and two steals against the Timberwolves. "I feel like we had that caliber of team [before the trade], we're on that track right now and so that's the whole goal. And adding a player [like Hunter] just boosts it even more."
On paper, the trade is thoroughly impressive. The Cavs avoided the luxury tax, became younger with Hunter, 27, positioned themselves for the future because he has two more seasons left on his contract and filled their greatest positional need with a player who had been averaging 19 points on 46.1% shooting from the field (39.3% on 3-pointers), 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists this season.
The cost and the risk worked out in Altman's favor.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman talks during media day, Oct. 2, 2023, in Cleveland.
LeVert, 30, is a good sixth man, but the emergence of fellow backup guard Ty Jerome gave the Cavs confidence they could afford to move LeVert (10.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 45.3% from the field and 40.5% on 3s). It's a bet on Jerome the playoffs will test.
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Niang (8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 47.7% from the field and 40% on 3s) is a good locker-room presence and veteran reserve. However, Niang, 31, had a reduced role this past postseason.
If there was ever a time to operate with aggression, the Cavs found themselves staring at it as the trade deadline neared. Although they earned a historically strong start, matchups against teams with long, athletic wings have been problematic. The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics are the prime example, and they're on an Eastern Conference Finals collision course with the Cavs.
Hence Hunter's arrival.
"All the credit goes to Koby," Atkinson said. "He's aggressive, and I second it. And I said, 'Man, let's go for this.'
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"But it takes an aggressive GM to do that. [We] could have easily stood pat. And he was forward, really forward and aggressive in getting me the information, getting our staff the information, so we were comfortable with it. Whether it works out or it doesn't, I loved how he approached this and kind of went for it."
Coach Kenny Atkinson and president of basketball operations Koby Altman hold their Cavaliers Media Day availability on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Independence.
Some trades flop. Others elevate teams. Fit is paramount.
The Cavs are connected on and off the court, and Hunter seems capable of meshing well with his new teammates. A less-than-ideal element of his debut is he experienced early foul trouble. He picked up his second foul with 5:31 left in the first quarter and finished with five. An encouraging development, though, is Hunter showed he could laugh at himself in the postgame locker room, joking with Mitchell and rookie wing Jaylon Tyson about fouling early and often.
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Because Hunter won a national championship in 2019 with Jerome at the University of Virginia and has done offseason training with Mobley in the past, his transition into the Cleveland locker room should not be a major obstacle.
"Everyone gets along, everyone has a good relationship with each other," Hunter said. "And knowing Ty, it's kind of easy to integrate myself."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and forward De'Andre Hunter (12) defend Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) on Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland.
After the All-Star break, Atkinson will work through exactly how he wants to use Hunter and whether he'll start him or bring him off the bench once Strus, Dean Wade (right knee bone bruise) and Isaac Okoro (sprained AC joint in right shoulder) are healthy.
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Many questions still need to be answered, and games need to be played, so the jury is still out on the trade.
What's clear already, though, is Altman did it for the right reasons. He has watched a championship window open this season, and he's attempting to seize the moment instead of being satisfied.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs go for it by trading for De'Andre Hunter, who debuts in win
