In the dead of night, three NBA teams completed a trade.
De’Andre Hunter was sent from Cleveland to Sacramento, and Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis also moved to Cleveland. To help facilitate the deal, Dario Saric and two second-round picks were traded to the Bulls.
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The deal certainly didn’t shake up the league’s power dynamics. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the deal tiers on this deal:
Cleveland Cavaliers: B-
Schroeder is decent, if unspectacular. The real linchpin is Ellis, a defensive threat who should immediately help Cleveland’s second unit.
The Cavaliers waived Hunter, a 6-foot-8 wing who can play both forward spots, which does raise some concerns about the playoffs as they now lack considerable size and offensive talent on the wing.
With Lonzo Ball underperforming this season, this trade will at least partially help the Cavaliers resolve their backcourt issues. But with the uncertainty surrounding Ellis’ contract prospects, coupled with Hunter’s departure, I can only feel “meh” about this until Ellis is guaranteed to be here long-term.
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Sacramento Kings: C
Generally speaking, Hunter has been underrated throughout his career, so while he should be an upgrade for the Kings, one has to wonder… what’s the real point here?
If the Kings feel like they need to do something for Ellis before he leaves them, then that makes sense. But committing future money to Hunter when the team is willing to start over seems strange and somewhat random.
Therefore, this grade does not reflect Hunter as a player, but rather the Kings’ plan.
Now, I’ll offer this caveat: If the Kings follow up this move by trading DeMar DeRozan before the February 5 trade deadline, it would make sense to at least clear a spot for Hunter to play alongside Keegan Murray in an interchangeable two-forward tandem with collective cost control.
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So this is not— inevitable– Everything is bad in Sacramento. But now it’s time for the Kings to show us all their plans, because everything still looks like a mess.
Chicago Bulls: A+
Wait, what? Did the Bulls make a good trade? Wait, I just want to see if Greenland suddenly erupts with palm trees.
The organization took over Saric’s contract, presumably using part of Zach LaVine’s TPE (Traded Player Exception) to take him on, and in return for brokering the deal, they received two second-round picks.
What will this cost the Bulls?
Not a damn thing. Saric’s contract is expiring, and the Bulls only need to cut Jevon Carter (who’s contract is expiring anyway) to get it done.
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Considering they had plenty of room under the luxury tax to do it, they essentially paid $5.4 million (Saric’s salary) in two seconds, which is completely reasonable in today’s NBA economy, and they didn’t give up cash. The Bulls’ performance was impressive and they don’t usually make these types of trades.
