Report: Lakers' Trade Package for De'Andre Hunter Revealed

The plot thickens for the Los Angeles Lakers heading toward the NBA trade deadline, which is less than a week away on Feb. 5, as it appears the storied franchise could be nearing a deal to acquire De'Andre Hunter from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers have been canvassing the league for a 3-and-D wing, with many notable names being mentioned as trade candidates. Even though Herb Jones seems to be the best fit, the team appears to have turned its attention to Hunter and could be close to making a deal with the Cavs.

Lakers Discuss 'General Framework' With Cavs to Land De'Andre Hunter

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Lakers and Cavs are discussing a deal for Hunter that would send Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht to Cleveland, with a third team involved, via the Wine & Gold Talk Podcast.

“I just want to say from people that I’ve talked to, my sources tell me that a general framework has been discussed between the Cavs and the Lakers and a third team. It’s hard because the Lakers are right below the apron. Like $900,000 below the apron, but they are a tax team. So there are some restrictions that they have, and we all know the complications for the Cavs when it comes to trades, they can’t aggregate salaries, they only have one really first-round draft pick that they can trade, they have to be right on the number in terms of salary-matching purposes. But my sources tell me that the Cavs and the Lakers have discussed a general framework surrounding De’Andre Hunter of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, and then bringing in a third team.”

There's been a lot of speculation lately about the immediate futures of Hachimura and Knecht. Hachimura's contract with the team expires after this season, making him an attractive trade piece, especially given how well he's played as of late. At the same time, Knecht hasn't really been able to get back to form since the fallout from the rescinded Mark Williams trade last season, but could reach his potential elsewhere with a fresh start.

This trade makes sense in that Hunter can help defensively, but it isn't a drastic improvement over Hachimura, who has developed some chemistry with superstar Luka Doncic while embracing a bench role.

However, the Lakers' brass seems determined to make a move to address the team's defensive issues so that it might be only a matter of time before Hunter or another 3-and-D wing dons purple and gold in the coming days.