Concerning Update Surfaces About Lakers' Trade Interest in De'Andre Hunter

With the NBA trade deadline being less than a week away on Feb. 5, rumors about the Los Angeles Lakers and the team's intentions on the trade market have started to ramp up, especially when it comes to De'Andre Hunter of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Earlier this week, the Lakers seemed to be gaining steam toward a trade with the Cavs for Hunter, with Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht said to be at the center of the deal.

Lakers' Interest in Trading for De'Andre Hunter 'Overstated'

According to NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, the Lakers might not be as interested in trading for Hunter as initially reported.

League sources say that the Lakers’ interest in Hunter, meanwhile, has been repeatedly overstated this week. The teams have certainly talked during this transaction cycle, but the purple and gold are reticent to jeopardize their upcoming financial flexibility in the offseason by absorbing Hunter’s $24.9 million salary for next season.

Reports surfaced that the Cavs and Lakers were discussing a trade that would send Hunter to Los Angeles, a deal that seemed only a matter of time before it came to fruition. It just goes to show how quickly things can change in the NBA as the trade deadline approaches.

Although these trade talks may be dead or have potentially pivoted to the Cavs getting something done with the Sacramento Kings, who are also rumored to have interest in Hunter, anything can happen moving forward.

Only time will tell what the Lakers decide to do ahead of the trade deadline, as rumors are bound to keep pouring in, whether it's about Los Angeles pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo or making smaller moves to address the defensive end.

Lakers Linked to Six Notable Players Ahead of Trade Deadline

Along with rumored interest in Hunter, other notable names around the league linked to the Lakers with only a few days left to wheel and deal, include Jonathan Kuminga, Donte DiVincenzo, Keon Ellis, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall.

Many of these players check the boxes in terms of what the Lakers' brass is looking for ahead of the deadline on Feb. 5, but it remains to be seen whether any deal(s) get done, as the asking prices might be too high and the team might ultimately preserve its draft assets to make an agressive run at Antetokounmpo during the NBA offseason if he's still on the trade block.