Cavaliers NBA Finals Odds Make Small Jump After De'Andre Hunter Trade With Kings

The Cleveland Cavaliers got an early start to the NBA's trade deadline, as they moved forward De'Andre Hunter on Saturday night in a deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Hunter heads to the Kings in a salary-shedding move, with the Cavs taking back guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. The trade also involved the Chicago Bulls as a third team, as they received Dario Saric and two second-round picks to help facilitate the deal.

BREAKING: The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, sources tell ESPN. The three-team deal includes the Chicago Bulls acquiring Kings forward Dario Saric and two future second-round picks. pic.twitter.com/Hoc6bP0hhj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 1, 2026

The move is an interesting one for a Cavs team that has made a serious push in the Eastern Conference and is just two games out of the No. 2 seed heading into February. The Cavs have won seven of their last 10 games, but they decided that Hunter at his current salary (over $22 million) was not worth the cost with the team already over the second apron.

Cleveland traded for Hunter during last season's deadline, but with Darius Garland (toe) banged up, it now adds serious guard depth with Schroder and Ellis now on the roster. Ellis was one of the more coveted young players on the trade market, though he is a free agent after the 2025-26 season.

After moving Hunter, the Cavs moved to +2500 to win the NBA Finals at DraftKings Sportsbook, good for the ninth-best odds in the NBA. Cleveland was +3000 to win the title earlier in January, but that number has been dropping with the team's recent winning stretch.

The question for the Cavs is whether or not they have enough wing depth to compete in the Eastern Conference. Max Strus (foot) has yet to play this season, and the team will now rely heavily on second-year forward Jaylon Tyson to replace Hunter's production.

This season, Hunter is averaging 14.0 points per gmae, but he's shooting just 42.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point range. Ellis, who is shooting just 39.7 percent from the field this season, should get a crack at guard/wing minutes for the Cavs as they look to get cheaper around their core of Donovan Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Only the New York Knicks (+1300), Boston Celtics (+1400) and Detroit Pistons (+1700) have better odds to win the NBA Finals than the Cavs out of teams in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland could change that by continuing to make a move up the standings.

Despite the Hunter deal, the Cavs remain a second apron team, and they'd need to shed a significant amount of salary to get under the second apron to open up more trade possibilities. It'll be interesting to see if the Cavs make another move at the deadline, or look to bring on some expiring contracts, to help them duck the apron by the start of the 2026-27 season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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