NBA Trades: The Cleveland Cavaliers made a bold move at the NBA Trade Deadline in an attempt to add what could be the final piece of their championship puzzle.
Through the first half of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were almost unanimously considered the best team in the NBA. Even though they've hit a bit of a rough patch over the last few weeks, while still posting an 8-6 record during their last 14 games, there was a sense that the Cavs needed to make some sort of move that could help spark them into the final stretch of the season.
At the trade deadline, that's exactly what the Cavs managed to pull off. In a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs acquired De'Andre Hunter in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round draft picks, and two pick swaps. In an attempt to add another dynamic player on the wing, Hunter will certainly give the team a much-desired boost down the stretch.
Sitting as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs are still in a great spot at the moment. They still hold a five-game lead over the Boston Celtics and are seven games clear of the New York Knicks. Short of a complete disaster down the stretch, it's hard to envision how the Cavs aren't going to lock up the top seed in the East.
However, if they want to put themselves in the best position to break through in the East and potentially win a championship this year, adding another quality piece at the trade deadline was viewed as a necessity. In an ideal world, Hunter could act as somewhat of the final piece of the championship puzzle for the Cavs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are all-in
In 37 games this season, most of them in a bench role, Hunter was averaging 19 points and four rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. If nothing else, Hunter does give the Cavs another consistent scoring threat off the bench or a plug-and-play level starter.
If it wasn't clear before, the Cavs are all-in on winning a championship this season. It's unclear if this is the move that will unlock that potential for Cleveland if they weren't already there, but there's no question that this move will certainly make this team much more dynamic than they were just a few hours ago.