Cavaliers trading De’Andre Hunter to Kings for key depth in three-team deal with deadline nearing

The Cavaliers and Kings were involved in a three-team trade Saturday night.

The Cavaliers acquired some depth ahead of what they envision being another chance at a postseason run.

They traded De’Andre Hunter to the Kings — the last-place team in the Western Conference — on Saturday in exchange for guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis, with the Bulls also joining the deal as a third team who ended up with a pair of second-round picks and forward Dario Saric, according to ESPN.

The move also reportedly freed up around $50 million in salary and luxury tax space, while also allowing them to get under the second apron next season, the outlet added.

De’Andre Hunter goes up for a dunk during Cavaliers’ blowout win over the Lakers on Jan. 28, 2026. AP

Ellis, a 26-year-old, has averaged 5.6 points per game this season while also carving out a key role defensively for the Kings. 

Schröder, a former Net for 52 games who will play for his 11th different team when he officially suits up for the Cavaliers, has contributed 12.8 points and 5.3 assists per game in Sacramento this season.

He also has logged 74 postseason appearances throughout his career — including last year, when he and a pesky Pistons team took the Knicks to six games.

During that first-round showdown, Schröder averaged 12.5 points while playing over 27 minutes per game.

Dennis Schröder drives to the basket during the Kings’ blowout road loss to Jan. 30, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Those additions cost the Cavaliers the presence of Hunter, who started 23 of the 43 games he logged for them while averaging 14.0 points per game — down from the 17.0 he averaged with the Hawks and Cleveland last year en route to finishing fourth in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Though this deal didn’t serve as a blockbuster by any means, it still served as a domino to fall ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline Feb. 5.

Keon Ellis attempts a 3-pointer during the Kings’ blowout road loss to the Pistons on Jan. 25, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images

The Cavaliers sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and are tied with the fourth-place Raptors in winning percentage, with the path to the NBA Finals still wide open in a year that hasn’t featured the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum as they recover from torn Achilles.

Another major domino that could fall before the deadline features Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who reportedly indicated that he’s ready for a trade from the only team he has ever played for.

The Knicks are expected to make a bid for Antetokounmpo and serve as one of his preferred destinations, according to The Post’s Stefan Bondy — but it’s unclear if they possess enough to out-bid other teams and win the sweepstakes.

For now, though, the smaller deals will continue to happen.

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