by: Betty Cantley
Cleveland, OH – The three-team trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sacramento Kings, and the Chicago Bulls was finalized late on Saturday.
This “roster shake-up” was driven by Cleveland’s need for backcourt defense and a desperate desire to slash its historic luxury tax bill before the February 5th deadline.
The official trade breakdown goes as follows: The Cleveland Cavaliers received Dennis Schroder (G), Keon Ellis (G), and Emanuel Mitter (F), and the Sacramento Kings received De’Andre Hunter (F), the Chicago Bulls’ Danilo Saric (F), and two 2nd-round picks.
The Picks: Chicago receives a 2027 and 2029 2nd-round pick.
President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman addressed several critical issues with this single transaction.
The Cavaliers viewed Keon Ellis as the centerpiece. He is considered one of the NBA’s premier point-of-attack defenders.
With veteran stability, Darius Garland is managing a foot injury, and Lonzo Ball struggles with historical shooting (under 30%). Dennis Schroder provides a proven floor-grounder for the second unit.
With the De’Andre Hunter trade, saving $23.3M contract, the Cavs saved approximately $50M in combined salary and luxury tax payments. This is a massive financial relief.
To make the numbers and spots work, several secondary moves were made:
-The Bulls are waiving veteran guard Jevon Carter to create space for Dario Saric.
-Cleveland is waiving Luke Travers (two-way contract) to make room for Emanuel Mitter, who was included to satisfy the “three-team” trade rules.
-The Kings opened a roster spot, which they plan to use to promote standout undrafted rookie center Dylan Cardwell.
Cleveland is reportedly willing to attach more second-round picks to clear the #10M salary and further reduce their tax burden.