One of the things you realize when someone gets traded is how little of the player NBA fans have actually seen lately. That was undoubtedly the case when De'Andre Hunter was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Sacramento Kings.
In case you missed it, the Cavaliers chose to swap Hunter for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis over the weekend, proving the Kings organization watches as little basketball as the people who just consume the NBA through clips. It was a one-sided move that was easily a trade win for Cleveland.
The reaction from a chunk of Los Angeles Lakers fans involved crying out in frustration over missing out on Hunter. There was a thought — for whatever unapparent reason — the former Cavs forward could be a big boost to the roster this season. That idea was always misguided.
Hunter’s fit issues and salary concerns make this a win for the Lakers
There are some NBA franchises out there who are well-established in being poorly run. The Kings are absolutely one of those organizations. What does it tell you that they were the team who eventually ended up with Hunter?
In about a month's time, the new Kings forward could feast on the opportunity to play meaningless basketball in Sacramento and put up a ton of healthy-looking (and completely empty) stats. At that point, Lakers fans will groan in disappointment of missing out on the deal once more. They shouldn't.
Bringing in Hunter would have done damage to the Lakers on multiple fronts.
Let's start with the on-court fit. For how frustrated some fans have been with Rui Hachimura this season, at least the Lakers forward is a marksman (43.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Hunter has been terrible this year, shooting a woeful 30.8 percent from deep.
Some will immediately argue that a change of scenery would have benefitted him in that regard. And to that, sure, let's allow that thought for a second. Perhaps Hunter does arrive in Los Angeles and start shooting well again. What about his defense?
Hunter has been an awful perimeter defender in 2025-26, regularly getting blown by and outright beat in whatever way imaginable. The Cavs forward was struggling while having the backline support of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Now, imagine taking a struggling defender and throwing him into the mix in Los Angeles where the personnel and defensive shortcomings are so much worse than Cleveland. Hunter would have been feasted on by opposing offenses on a nightly basis, continuing the Lakers defensive struggles.
This is where the biggest disconnect has been with some fans. Somehow, people have talked themselves into Hunter being a good defender, likely due to his build. He's not.
The effort on that end is completely lacking. Those who get regularly frustrated with Deandre Ayton's motor would have been in hell with those two sharing the court.
The Lakers were supposed to bring that player into the mix? The cherry on top here would be his price tag of $23.3 million this season and $24.9 million for 2026-27. That's the player fans wanted Los Angeles to sacrifice their financial flexibility for?
It was only a few days ago that Jake Fischer said this of Hunter's contract: "Many teams view his $20-plus million salary for next season as negative value when also factoring in his injury history."
The Lakers will be just fine without Hunter.