The Cavaliers have solidified their depth for what they hope will become a deep postseason run.
They acquired forward De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks in exchange for guard Caris LeVert, forward Georges Niang, a trio of second-round picks and a pair of pick swaps, according to ESPN.
While his role with Cleveland remains unclear for now, Hunter has averaged 19.0 points and 3.9 rebounds — while shooting over 39 percent from beyond the arc — per game off the bench for Atlanta, with the No. 4 overall pick in 2019 blossoming into an emerging star and Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
“I feel like whether he was starting or coming off the bench, the way that he’s playing, he’s really focused on running and attacking the rim in transition,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder told reporters in December about Hunter’s emergence, according to ClutchPoints. “And he’s been more aggressive from the three. We talk about how contested threes really aren’t bad shots for him because of his ability to raise up.
“Coming off the bench, there’s an opportunity for him to throw himself right into the game, knowing that our team needs that too. His aggressiveness offensively has been big. Taking threes has got him on the rim, and he’s made some big mid-range shots for us, too.”
The Cavaliers have raced out to a 41-10 start this season, building a five-game advantage over the Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference behind stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
LeVert has averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game while Niang — playing in all 51 games — has collected 8.7 points while logging an average of just over 20 minutes per contest, and they’ll join an Atlanta currently clinging to a play-in tournament spot as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland travels to face the Wizards on Friday before hosting the Timberwolves on Monday, and at some point during those games, their addition of Hunter — and an early glimpse at what his role could be on a contender — will be on display.
Atlanta hosts the Bucks on Friday before traveling to face Washington on Saturday to complete the back-to-back.
