Cavaliers Star Drops Cautionary Take on Substantial Trade

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has expressed a cautionary take following the team's big move at the NBA trade deadline.

Feb 7, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) looks on during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't stand pat at the NBA trade deadline after all, swinging a deal to acquire De'Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks.

While Hunter is widely being viewed as a great acquisition for the Cavaliers, they did part with a couple of critical pieces to land him, jettisoning Caris LeVert and Georges Niang in the package.

Both LeVert and Niang represented big parts of Cleveland's tremendous season, so Cavs players were understandably a bit upset to see them go.

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell even erred on the side of caution with the Hunter trade and is letting everyone know that it might take some time for Hunter to gel in his new surroundings.

“We’re human,” Mitchell said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “It’s not just a plug-and-play thing. Natural emotions. Natural fatigue. All-Star break coming up. But we find ways. We always compete.”

LeVert had been Mitchell's teammate ever since Mitchell arrived in Cleveland via trade with the Utah Jazz ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, so you can certainly comprehend the All-Star is being a bit diplomatic when it comes to discussing the move.

Plus, Mitchell is right: while Hunter appears to be a natural fit for the Cavs, we really don't know how he will manage in the system until we actually see him how out on the floor.

In 37 games with the Hawks this season, Hunter averaged 19 points and 3.9 rebounds over 28.8 minutes per game on 46.1/39.3/85.8 shooting splits. If he can maintain a similar level of production and efficiency, the Cavaliers will be just fine.

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