The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for De'Andre Hunter,ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Hunter, 28, wasdealt to the Cavaliersbefore last season's NBA trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks for a package that included Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps. However, he fell out of head coach Kenny Atkinson's rotation in recent weeks.
As Darius Garland is sidelined with a sprained right toe, Jaylon Tyson has emerged as an impact guard alongside Donovan Mitchell, averaging 13.9 points and shooting 46% on 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Hunter is struggling through one of the worst seasons of his career, shooting only 42% from the floor (30% on 3s) while averaging 14 points per game.
Hunter is making $22.3 million this season and has a $24.9 million salary for next season. In light of his declining numbers, the Cavaliers wanted to move his contract off their salary cap. The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers expressed interest in picking Hunter up,according to NBA reporter Jake Fischer.
The Kings became a possible trade partner with Cleveland's reported interest in Ellis. A career 41% 3-point shooter averaging 6.3 points per game and known for his defensive talents, the 26-year-old is playing outa $2.3 million club optionand can be a free agent after the season.
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Schröder was included in the deal to make the salaries match under the cap. He signeda three-year, $45 million free agent dealwith Sacramento which pays him $14.1 million this season and $30.3 million over the following two years.
Getting traded is nothing new for Schröder. The veteran guard, 32, has now been dealt for the eighth time during his 13-year professional career,as NBA analyst Yossi Gozlanpoints out.
Last season, he was tradedthree times in 18 hours, going from the Golden State Warriors to the Miami Heat, then from the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons. Officially, he played for the Nets, Warriors and Pistons. The Cavaliers will be the 11th team he's played for in the league.
The Cavaliers likely wanted to move fast on getting Ellis, in addition to wanting to deal Hunter away, with several other teams showing interest. The Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics were among those looking to make a deal.
Meanwhile, the Kings were discussing deals involving Ellis that included Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan. Sacramento reportedly wants to move at least one of their contracts off its salary cap.
