The Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, and Chicago Bulls have made their three-team trade official. Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, and Emanuel Miller are headed to the Cavs, De'Andre Hunter is destined for Sacramento, and Dario Saric is Bulls-bound. Cleveland president of basketball operations Koby Altman made his first public comments on the deal since it was made official on Sunday afternoon.
“After careful evaluation and a clearer view of the Eastern Conference landscape, we believe adding Dennis and Keon strengthens our depth, expands our flexibility, and positions us to keep building a championship caliber team now and into the future,” Altman said in a team press release. “In a season defined by its parity, this move better aligns us for a deeper postseason run.
“I’m thankful as well to De’Andre, who made an immediate impact upon his arrival to Cleveland and represented the Cavaliers with class. We appreciate everything he did for us both on and off the court, and we wish him the best in Sacramento.”
The Cavs also acquired Miller from the Bulls in the transaction. Since he is a two-way contract player, Cleveland had to make room, so it waived Luke Travers.
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“We drafted Luke in 2022 and have seen his development improve each year and thank him for his contributions to the franchise,” Altman said.
The Cavs just tipped off their five-game West Coast road trip on Friday in a lopsided loss to the Phoenix Suns. They'll look to right the ship against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Moda Center.
Cleveland will have a few days in Los Angeles afterward before taking on the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday. The wine and gold will continue the swing against Hunter and the Kings on Saturday, then wrap things up by battling with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Feb. 9.