The Cleveland Cavaliers made the move they needed to make before the trade deadline.
It’s not usual to see the best team in the NBA get better midway through the season, especially if they don’t add another superstar.
However, getting De’Andre Hunter might be what takes this team all the way to the top.
We’ve seen a sample size that’s big enough to conclude that Hunter has been a seamless fit for Kenny Atkinson’s team.
That’s why sports analyst Ryan Tyler couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen so far.
Talking on the “Bruce Drennan Show,” he claimed that they wouldn’t have been able to beat the Charlotte Hornets without Hunter, and he thinks he could be this team’s X factor.
Is De'Andre Hunter the missing piece of the Cavaliers team? #LetEmKnow
"Right now the Cavs formula is just working to a T, and I give them all the credit in the world."
Presented by https://t.co/WQBzvIwpki pic.twitter.com/HB29NzzhnK
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) March 8, 2025
He loves how he can switch and guard opposing wings, and he will be crucial in any potential matchup with teams like the Boston Celtics.
It’s not usual to see a team gift-wrapping a difference-maker to help the biggest threat in the conference win the whole thing, and that’s just what the Atlanta Hawks did with Hunter.
The Cavs got the kind of athletic and long 3-and-D player they coveted while also getting under the luxury tax threshold, and they didn’t even have to give up a lot to get him.
Those are the moves that make a team go from ‘good’ to ‘great.’
And while there’s still plenty of basketball to be played this season, you have to like this team’s chances against anybody in a seven-game series.
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