Three Cavs Moves That Can Happen Next After De’Andre Hunter Trade to Kings

The Cleveland Cavaliers got the NBA trade deadline party started on Saturday night when they dealt De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls.

This deal helped the Cavs stack backcourt depth by adding Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder from the Kings. The Cavaliers also cleared cap space in this trade, getting them closer to being under the second apron.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is willing to dip deep into the luxury tax if he believes the team can contend for an NBA title. The Cavaliers have had a shaky start to their season and flipping Hunter, one of their most inconsistent players, could help the team get back on track.

With Hunter already traded, here are three more moves that the Cavaliers can make ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

1. Dump Lonzo Ball

The Cavaliers traded Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball during the offseason in a move that was supposed to help the team improve on the margins.

But Ball has had a career-worst shooting season and has not fit on the Cavaliers how many had hoped. He’s been surprisingly healthy, so the Cavs should trade him now as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

By adding Ellis and Schröder to the mix, the Cavaliers have plenty of guard depth. Throughout the season, Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor have proven to be serviceable options for head coach Kenny Atkinson. Porter Jr. and Proctor typically get a bulk of their minutes when Ball in on load management.

Ellis and Schröder are better fits and the team could dump Ball’s salary to move even closer to getting under that second apron. It’s possible that the Cavaliers would have to attach a second-round pick to Ball in order for somebody to make this deal.

2. Get under the second apron

Trading Hunter felt like the first move of something bigger to follow. That’s because the team is still beholden to second apron penalties as long as they stay over the luxury tax.

Dumping Ball gets the Cavaliers even closer to being compliant with the second apron. While this might not matter too much during the season (unless the team were to really shake things up with a blockbuster deal), it will give Cleveland financial flexibility heading into the summer.

The Cavaliers have high expectations to find success in the NBA Playoffs. If they fall short, big changes will follow this summer. Certainly, the Cavs’ front office wants to make sure they are able to improve this roster in the offseason, especially since they were so limited last summer.

3. Make that big swing

Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman is known to be aggressive. Don’t be surprised if the Cavaliers are curiously sniffing around the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If the Cavs wanted to take a big swing, they’d need to dump Ball and make one more minor move to get under the second apron. From there, practically any player on the roster can be moved.

If the Cavs believe they can win a championship this season with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Antetokounmpo, it’s a deal worth pondering.