Cavs Rumors: Hawks' De'Andre Hunter, Nets' Royce O'Neale Linked as Trade Targets

A team executive told NBA reporter Marc Stein on Tuesday that the Cleveland Cavaliers have Brooklyn Nets' veteran wing Royce O'Neale on their "list of targets" ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

Stein added that Atlanta Hawks' wing De'Andre Hunter is "said to be another name to watch in Cleveland's ongoing search for a 3-and-D upgrade—although absorbing Hunter's contract (which has three seasons and $70 million left on it after this season) makes him a challenging payroll fit (and, frankly, difficult for the Hawks to trade anywhere)."

O'Neale, on the other hand, is in the final year of a contract paying him just $9.5 million for the 2023-24 season, making him an easier player to acquire from a salary-matching perspective.

He makes sense as a target on several levels. He's a good defender on the wing, is shooting a solid 37.4 percent from three this season and is close friends with Cavaliers' star guard Donovan Mitchell.

He's also older than Hunter, isn't as good of an overall player and will potentially be a short-term rental. And there's no guarantee that the 16-23 Nets will be willing to move him, as the team currently sits in the final Play-In Tournament berth in the Eastern Conference.

But it's clear that the Nets, as currently constructed, are in the NBA's worst possible team-building purgatory—good enough to stay out of the running for a top-five pick, but devoid of the clear superstars or promising young players to build a long-term contender around.

It may be time for the Nets to either consider a substantial rebuild or go chasing a true superstar to pair with solid complementary options in Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas.

The Hawks, meanwhile, are a mess. The team is also 16-23 but has more star power than Brooklyn. But the backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has never jelled, and a roster restructuring seems inevitable.

The 26-year-old Hunter has never quite lived up to the hype that made him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, though he's still providing a solid 14.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.4 percent from three. He's just never quite become the defensive stopper he was envisioned to be.

He'll likely be available at the trade deadline—according to The Athletic's John Hollinger, outside of Young and Jalen Johnson, "everything should be on the table [in trade talks], and league sources say that is indeed the case."

He added that "league sources say the Hawks have had continued chatter on potential Murray deals. Some will tell you they're getting close to the finish line, while others will say the Hawks are still on a fishing expedition to determine the trade value for him and other key players (such as Hunter and Clint Capela)."

So changes are brewing in Atlanta. It just remains to be seen if Hunter is one of the players out the door, and if Cleveland is on the other side of it.