The rumor mill has been churning as normal in the NBA, but there had been a surprising lack of actual trades made ahead of Thursday’s deadline. One of the biggest rumors, though, was the connection between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, who had reportedly been discussing a deal surrounding De’Andre Hunter.
There were also rumors that the Lakers had interest in Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis. It was clear the Kings were going to move on from him, as he had league-wide interest despite the franchise believing he wasn’t worthy of consistent playing time. Both of those rumors suggested that the Lakers knew they needed defensive-minded perimeter players who could at least somewhat regularly hit shots from deep.
Both of those connections went by the wayside on Saturday night, however, when it was reported that the Cavaliers and Kings agreed to a trade swapping the two players, via Shams Charania of ESPN:
BREAKING: The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, sources tell ESPN. The three-team deal includes the Chicago Bulls acquiring Kings forward Dario Saric and two future second-round picks. pic.twitter.com/Hoc6bP0hhj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 1, 2026
The Cavaliers reportedly wanted Rui Hachimura from the Lakers in any Hunter deal, in part due to his expiring contract and Cleveland’s hopes of getting under the second apron. They instead get away from Hunter’s multi-year deal for a cheaper one in Dennis Schroder, as well as the expiring Ellis. The trade saves them about $7 million this year and upwards of $10 million next year.
Schroder and Ellis also arguably make them better than Hunter did. While Hunter provided a need on the wing, having guards who can defend could massively help as they try to make a run in the weak Eastern Conference this season.
Regardless, neither Ellis nor Hunter are available targets for the Lakers, further increasing the likelihood that the purple and gold stand pat at this week’s deadline.
Lakers’ interest in De’Andre Hunter was overstated
It’s possible, though, that the Lakers never had any real plans to go after Hunter when he was on the Cavaliers. Reports state that L.A.’s interest in him may have been overstated. We’ll never know for sure now, given that Hunter is off the board.
If the Lakers are going to make a move to add defense to their roster, it likely won’t be with the Kings or Cavs.
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