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The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder, two team sources told The Athletic. As part of the deal, the Chicago Bulls will receive Dario Šarić and two second-round picks (2027 from Cleveland and 2029 from Sacramento).
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Cleveland is the only team in the league with a payroll in the second-apron luxury tax, so the move adds much-needed roster depth as the Cavs try to return to title-contender status. They’re currently 29-21 (fifth in the East), and have won seven of their last nine games. For the Kings, amid a multiple-season rebuild with the second-worst record in the Western Conference, the move is the first of what is expected to be several trades.
Ellis, 26, is a three-and-D guard who is set to be a free agent after his three-year, $5.1 million deal expires this summer. He was highly sought after on the market despite struggling to find regular minutes this season in a crowded backcourt that includes Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and 2025 first-round pick Nique Clifford.
Ellis established himself as a valuable 3-point shooter off the bench for the Kings last season, averaging 8.3 points per game in 80 contests while shooting 43.4 percent from beyond the arc. An undrafted free agent out of Alabama who only started seven games for the Crimson Tide, Ellis grew to become a rotation player for the Kings. Rival teams, particularly those with limited avenues to add salary or young talent, valued his skill set and affordable contract. While Ellis is not an offensive initiator, he’s a solid defender and will provide value as a guard capable of stretching the floor.
Schröder, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Kings in July (with a partial guarantee in the final season), gives Cleveland veteran backcourt help for Donovan Mitchell while Darius Garland continues to recover from a toe injury. The former All-Star has been out since Jan. 16.
The Kings see the 28-year-old Hunter (14.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) as a productive player for their program whose arrival also comes with other long-term benefits. Not only is his contract in line with their payroll plan — he’s owed $23.3 million this season and $24.9 million next season — but the three-for-one nature of this deal opens a roster spot for young big man Dylan Cardwell. The undrafted center is on a two-way contract, but team sources say the Kings plan on converting his deal and giving him a full-time roster spot that is now available.
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Several of the Kings’ veteran players remain available for trades as first-year general manager Scott Perry works to acquire draft capital and salary-cap room. Former All-Stars Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are all known to be available, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be on the move.
While the Kings believed they would be able to land a late first-round pick for Ellis, team sources say they had several suitors fall through in recent days and weeks, among them Indiana, Boston and Minnesota.
The Pacers had concerns about Ellis’ ability to find playing time over Bennedict Mathurin, who is headed for restricted free agency. Mathurin might be on the move before the trade deadline, but so long as he was on their roster, giving up a first-rounder for Ellis was deemed a dicey proposition. The Boston Celtics also retreated with their interest, while the Timberwolves, after showing a willingness to offer two second-round picks for Ellis, backed off as their Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit ramped up and became the priority.
In the end, Sacramento saw a chance to land Hunter, while getting off of Schroder’s money and opening a roster spot for Cardwell, as a worthy endeavor even if there was no first-rounder in the trade.
The Bulls will waive Jevon Carter to make room for Šarić on their roster, a league source told The Athletic. Carter was one of the Bulls’ seven expiring contracts, making $6.8 million this season after opting in to the final year of his deal.
– Joel Lorenzi contributed to this story