CLEVELAND, Ohio — The De’Andre Hunter experiment has clearly gone sideways for the Cavs.
With career-worst shooting numbers, diminished defensive impact, and rumors of discontent, the evidence suggests a mismatch between player and team that would typically lead to a trade deadline divorce.
But as revealed on the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, the Cavaliers’ front office faces a complex decision that goes beyond simple performance metrics.
“I had multiple sources say that the Cavs don’t want to trade him,” cleveland.com Cavs beat writer Chris Fedor said. “They don’t want to have to get to that point where they feel like they have to move him. They want him to work his way out of this prolonged shooting slump. They still believe in him.”
This reluctance to move on from Hunter stems from a years-long infatuation with the forward that dates back to his college days at Virginia.
As Fedor explained, “This is somebody that they have wanted for seven years. This is somebody that they were high on when he was coming out of Virginia.
“As his career progressed in Atlanta, the Cavs checked in on De’Andre. ‘Hey, we like him. If you’re motivated to move him at some point, remember us, think about us.’”
This long-term pursuit finally culminated in last season’s trade deadline deal that sent George Niang, Caris LeVert, and draft capital to Atlanta.
When making that significant move, the Cavaliers were well aware of the financial implications – essentially cementing their roster due to salary cap constraints and luxury tax considerations.
But while the Cavaliers remain committed to Hunter for now, the financial realities of the NBA’s punitive second apron create a compelling case for considering a trade. Cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins highlighted this angle during the podcast discussion.
“Flip side of that is that De’Andre Hunter’s salary is almost exactly the number they need. If they were to dump it to get under the second aprim,” Watkins explained. “If you decide this is the piece that doesn’t fit with a pretty nifty piece of business without much headache, you can get under the second apron and then have every move available to you again when it’s time to get really creative.”
Despite his struggles, Hunter still represents a potential asset on the trade market due to his positional value. “De’Andre Hunter, as poorly as he’s played this year, he still plays a premium position. He still has a premium skill set. Clearly as the Cavs are getting calls like there are still teams that believe in this guy,” Watkins noted.
The situation creates a fascinating deadline dilemma for Cleveland’s front office: Do they remain patient with a player they’ve long coveted, believing his track record suggests an eventual return to form? Or do they cut their losses, creating valuable financial flexibility in the process?
The answer likely depends on how the team performs in the coming weeks leading up to the February trade deadline.
“I think they’re still kind of assessing where they want to go at the trade deadline, where they may need to go at the trade deadline,” Fedor said. “Do they have some kind of motivation to try and get out of the second apron and start dumping? Like, all of those things I would say are in play.”
For the Cavaliers, the decision transcends simple basketball metrics – it’s a test of their evaluation process and their ability to adapt when long-held beliefs collide with contradictory evidence.
Want the complete insider breakdown of the Cavaliers’ De’Andre Hunter dilemma and what it means for their deadline plans? Listen to the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast for expert analysis from those with direct access to the team’s thinking.
Here’s the podcast for this week: