Arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA this year has been the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently sit at 22-19 after a puzzling home loss to the Utah Jazz, who were coming off a 55-point shellacking at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets two nights earlier. The Cavs entered this year with legit NBA Finals aspirations on the heels of their historic 2024-25 season, but now, it appears they will have to fight just to make it out of the play-in zone.
One of the many Cavs who has been disappointing this year is De'Andre Hunter, whom the team acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at last year's trade deadline. Could Hunter be on the move ahead of this season's trade deadline if Cleveland tries to retool the roster for a second-half push?
NBA insider Matt Moore wrote on his Hardwood Paroxysm Substack that he has heard about the Cavs looking at Hunter deals, and he also noted Klutch Sports' interest in potentially getting a client to Cleveland. Ironically enough, one intriguing scenario could be a trade of Hunter to the Hornets for Klutch client Miles Bridges, but there's no evidence anything like that has actually been discussed.
Furthermore, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel recently reported that “Although there was some speculation around the holiday season that the Cavs could explore the market for De'Andre Hunter, that no longer appears to be a real scenario.” So as of right now, it doesn't seem as if anything is cooking on the Hunter trade front.
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Overall, the Cavs have largely the same team that nearly set a franchise record for wins a season ago and secured the top seed in the East, but injuries, underperformance, and a tendency to play down to competition have all kept them mired in mediocrity in the lowly Eastern Conference. Ty Jerome's exit has hurt, while the Isaac Okoro-Lonzo Ball trade has backfired in a big way.
The Cavs will next take the floor on Wednesday evening on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Editor's Note: The initial version of this story based on Matt Moore's reporting said De'Andre Hunter is a Klutch client and that the agency was interested in sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers or Charlotte Hornets. However, Hunter is represented by Wasserman. Moore has issued a correction on his initial report, and the necessary corrections have been made to this ClutchPoints story. ClutchPoints regrets the errors.