Report: Cavaliers moved forward with De’Andre Hunter trade after Hawks lowered asking price

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Cleveland Cavaliers moved forward with the De’Andre Hunter trade after the Atlanta Hawks lowered their original asking price. 

The Cavaliers traded Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to the Hawks for Hunter. 

“Cleveland officials, sources say, only moved forward with the deal for Hunter when the Hawks dropped their original asking price of multiple first-round picks,” Fischer wrote. “If the draft compensation demands hadn’t dropped and if the ultimate trade framework didn’t help both Atlanta and Cleveland get under the tax threshold, it’s unlikely that the trade would have gotten done.”

Hunter has appeared in 24 games with the Cavaliers. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.2 blocks. 

The Cavaliers have the best record in the East. They are first in the NBA in points per game and offensive rating. 

“Cleveland had no firm directive to avoid the luxury tax this season, sources say, although the Cavaliers were surely looking to upgrade on the wing,” Fischer wrote. “A trade for Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson would have been too pricey for their liking, so Niang wasn’t anticipating any trade action until the final hours of the deadline. Neither was LeVert.”

Hunter was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks with the Hawks and Cavaliers. 

Cleveland looks like a legitimate title contender for the first time in the second post-LeBron James era. With Hunter, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley leading the way, the sky is the limit for the Cavaliers, who are second in the NBA in net rating. 

“I think our camaraderie is just really taking us over the top right now,” Garland told Basketball Insiders. “We’ve been around each other for about two-to-three years now, so we have some years under our belt. We’re really familiar with each other on and off the floor, which makes it a lot easier, especially because we bond off the floor so much.”