Report: Cavs pry Hunter from Hawks

The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter in a trade, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.

Cleveland is reportedly sending Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and two future pick swaps to Atlanta in the deal.

Hunter, 27, is in the midst of a breakout campaign, scoring a career-high 19 points per game in his sixth NBA season. All but four of his 37 appearances have come off the bench, placing him among the contenders for the Sixth Man of the Year award. The 6-foot-8 wing is also putting up 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting a career-best 39.3% on 6.7 3-point attempts.

The second-round picks reportedly en route to Atlanta are in 2027, 2029, and 2031, sources told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland owns its own second-rounder in all three years, as well as the Denver Nuggets' second-round selection in 2027.

LeVert is averaging 10.2 points and 3.7 assists. He was frequently deployed as Darius Garland's backup at point guard for the Cavs. However, the 30-year-old's contract is set to expire after the campaign.

Niang is shooting 40% from distance this season and had played in all 51 games for Cleveland this year. He's in line to become a free agent following the 2025-26 campaign.

The pick swaps are for first-rounders in 2026 and 2028, reports ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Thanks to the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster swap in 2022, the Utah Jazz will have priority on swapping their first-round picks with the Cavs those years. The Hawks would then get the least favorable of Utah's or Cleveland's first-rounders.