It appears that Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry has been a fan of De’Andre Hunter for some time.
Shortly following Saturday’s trade that sent guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder to the Cleveland Cavaliers in return for Hunter, a clip of Perry discussing Hunter’s play surfaced on social media.
The clip, taken from an episode of the Hoop Genius Podcast released on February 7, 2025, featured Perry sharing his thoughts on NBA trade deadline deals.
One of those deals involved a trade between the Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks, with Hunter moving to Cleveland.
“I loved the move for Cleveland, to be honest with you. I’m a De’Andre Hunter fan,” Perry said following last year’s deadline deal between the Cavs and Hawks. “I sat and watched him play many times against us when I was most recently an executive with the Knicks. This guy shows up and competes.”
Scott Perry on De’Andre Hunter | February 7, 2025
The only drawback, Perry noted at the time, had been De’Andre Hunter’s availability.
“The only negative I can really say about him is that he’s had a little bit of an injury history in his career to date,” Perry said. “But when healthy, this guy shows up and competes. He’s improved every year. He gives you the ability to shoot threes from the perimeter, and he can also beat you a little bit off the dribble.”
Hunter has played in over 60 games in three of his seven NBA seasons, missing time due to various injuries. Although he has missed time in the past, Hunter has appeared in at least 53 games for the past four seasons.
Perry also added that De’Andre Hunter’s physicality and versatility stood out.
“I think he has a little bit of toughness with him. He brings some size to that wing position,” Perry said. “I know they were bringing him off the bench recently in Atlanta, but for a number of years, he was their starter at that small forward position.”
Hunter went on to finish fourth in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging a career-high 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 47/40/85 shooting splits.
The 28-year-old is expected to be available to make his Sacramento Kings debut on Wednesday night when Sacramento faces the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center.
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Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, February 4th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, February 6th – vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, February 7th – vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, February 9th – @ New Orleans Pelicans – 5:00 PM PT
Wednesday, February 11th – @ Utah Jazz – 6:00 PM PT
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