Lakers, Cavaliers, Spurs Urged To Pursue Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter

One NBA analyst believes the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs should pursue De’Andre Hunter of the Atlanta Hawks. 

Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report thinks Hunter can help the Lakers, Cavaliers and Spurs. 

Hunter averaged 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks for the Hawks this past season while shooting 45.9% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 84.7% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $21.7 million next season. 

Lakers:

“Hunter isn’t going to suddenly change their championship trajectory, but he’s a near-perfect fit on the perimeter,” Conway wrote. “While Trae Young is a stellar passer and makes Hunter’s life easier, he’s never played with a player with LeBron James‘ gravity. The veteran’s three-point percentage could kick up all the way into the 40 percent mark if he found himself in Los Angeles. … The Lakers went swinging for big fish, but Hunter could be a medium one out of the same pond.”

Cavaliers:

“Adding Hunter would not represent a seismic change but a potentially necessary one,” Conway wrote. “Isaac Okoro is an improved shooter, but defenses still don’t respect him or his scoring prowess enough on the perimeter. Hunter could essentially slide into Okoro’s role and add an upgrade on the offensive end, even if Okoro is a better perimeter defender.”

Spurs: 

“The Spurs are ready to start building an actual basketball team around Victor Wembanyama, and Hunter is the exact type of player who has always thrived under coach Gregg Popovich,” Conway wrote. “San Antonio also has money to spend and a couple assets it could throw Atlanta’s way to make the trade seem palatable.”

Hunter was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 44.7% from the field, 36.3% from beyond the arc and 81.1% from the free-throw line. 

The Hawks traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans and drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Atlanta missed the playoffs in 2024. 

The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 postseason in five games, the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round in five games and the Spurs missed the playoffs.