2025 NBA Trade Deadline: Grading the De'Andre Hunter Trade for the Atlanta Hawks

Today, the Atlanta Hawks made their first major move of the trade deadline by sending De'Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, two second-round picks and two pick swaps, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Atlanta Hawks are trading forward De'Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5fpE4LJzpK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

In terms of assigning a grade for this move, it's important to consider Hunter's performance and the players Atlanta received in exchange. By practically every metric, Hunter was having his best season to date. In 2024-25, he's averaging 19 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 46.1/39.3/85.8 shooting splits to pair with great defense on the wing and consistent offense off the bench. He's been a real contender for Sixth Man of the Year and one of the bright spots in an up-and-down year for the Hawks.

Even though Hunter's deal looked like a mistake for the Hawks as recently as September, he deserves a ton of credit for rehabbing his value and becoming an integral part of the rotation. His tenure with Atlanta wasn't always smooth, but he did a lot for the team over the past calendar year and paired well with Jalen Johnson. He'll have an opportunity to chase a championship with the Cavaliers as they gear up for a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference.

With this move, Atlanta got back a wing to replace him in LeVert and a rotation shooter in Niang. In 38 games (3 starts), LeVert is averaging 10.2 points and 3.7 assists on 45/40.5/69.9 splits. The 40% from deep stands out as encouraging, but it should be noted that he's only taking 3.9 per game compared to 6.7 for Hunter. Hunter is a much more willing three-point shooter who can hit more of them, but LeVert isn't a bad shooter in his own right.

He also offers a degree of scoring variance that can be maddening or critical, depending on the night. Recently, he's on a bit of a cold streak, failing to score any points in two straight games. He'll occupy a bench role in a similar way to Hunter, but it's hard to expect the same consistency that Hunter gave the Hawks. However, this move does open up salary flexibility in future years. Hunter was signed through the next two seasons while LeVert's deal expires after this season. That opens up Atlanta to either bringing him back on a reduced deal or letting him walk. It's really more of a salary dump to keep Atlanta's options open.

Niang's entire game is built upon his shooting, which Atlanta can definitely use. At 6'7, he offers a bit of size and competes on defense, but lacks the speed/ability to keep up with difficult assignments. He's shooting 40% from deep on 4.4 attempts per game - expect that to translate immediately if he stays with Atlanta throughout the trade deadline. He also gives Atlanta some future insurance since he's signed through next season as well and will likely continue to be a good - albeit one-dimensional - shooter.

Overall, this deal is really more of a way to open up future salary and get some players that will hopefully lessen the blow of Hunter's departure. Atlanta gained some additional draft capital for a deal that was previously viewed as a massive negative, but Hunter turned that around due to how well he's been playing this year. That being said, it's hard to give this a standout grade because it makes the Hawks weaker in the short-term without granting much future upside at the current moment.

Grade: C

Related Links