Reports indicated last week that the Cleveland Cavaliers would not sit on the sideline and watch the NBA Trade Deadline play out without making a move. They're apparently interested in acquiring a 3-and-D caliber player who can play the wing.
One player who perfectly fits that description is Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the Cavs have expressed interest in trading for Hunter. The Hawks have a record of 16-23 and sit in the Eastern Conference's 11th seed before Tuesday night's action.
Atlanta's underwhelming season has made them a candidate to be a seller come the deadline. Dejounte Murray is a player that has been at the center of rumors and now Hunter is joining that last.
Looking at the fit with Cleveland, Hunter would be a welcome addition. He's in his fifth season in the NBA and has a tremendous reputation as a solid defender and a reliable long-range shooter.
Hunter is shooting 40.4% from behind the arc this season, averaging 14.9 points a game. Adding a player of his caliber would only help Cleveland's floor spacing and would also work well with the Cavs' new three-point-heavy identity.
The other half of this is that the Cavaliers would obviously have to give up a player or other asset to acquire Hunter. Cleveland doesn't have many options in terms of draft picks due to the Donovan Mitchell trade from a year and a half ago.
We'll have to wait and see whether or not a trade centered around Hunter goes down, but it does seem pretty clear the Cavaliers plan to be a team to watch as the deadline approaches.
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