The Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings kicked off deadline week with a deal that reads like two teams solving different problems at once, and a third team, the Chicago Bulls, quietly monetizing the margins.
Cleveland is sending De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento in a three-team trade, receiving guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis. Chicago is taking on Dario Šarić plus two future second-round picks.
For the Cavaliers, the basketball logic is straightforward: more playable perimeter depth, more guard insurance, and more defensive versatility in the backcourt. Schröder brings established creation and tempo control, while Ellis has built a reputation as a low-usage defender who can pressure the ball and survive matchups. Reuters reported Schröder is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists this season, with Ellis at 5.6 points and 1.1 steals.
The bigger Cleveland story, though, is financial gravity. The Cavaliers will save roughly $50 million in salary and luxury tax costs, lowering their tax bill significantly in the process. In a league newly defined by apron penalties and roster-building constraints, that kind of savings isn’t just accounting, it’s future flexibility, the ability to keep optionality alive without sacrificing the present.
Sacramento’s angle is equally clear: wings who can score, defend, and hold up physically in playoff-style possessions don’t come cheap, and Hunter fits a need that is difficult to patch with minimums and second-round fliers. He’s under contract for two more seasons, and has been averaging 14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 43 games this season. The Kings are betting that a sturdier two-way forward presence is worth the guard depth they’re sending out.
Chicago, meanwhile, plays the pragmatic role: take in Šarić’s expiring money and turn participation into draft assets. It’s the sort of deal teams in the middle often make, staying flexible while accumulating smaller pieces that can be rerouted later.
This trade won’t be judged by the headline swap alone. It will be judged by what it enables: whether Cleveland’s newly balanced guard rotation stabilizes a postseason push, whether Sacramento’s wing upgrade holds when matchups tighten, and whether the Bulls can turn two seconds into something that matters.
