With the De'Andre Hunter Trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers Have Entered a Championship Window

The standard for success has officially changed in Cleveland.

Koby Altman. Image via Erik Drost

WASHINGTON D.C.¹ — The Cleveland Cavaliers got better when they acquired De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Georges Niang, Caris LeVert and draft compensation this week.

Hunter appears to be a perfect fit to help clean up some of the flaws of an already really good team in the Cavs. A team good enough to win 41 of its first 51 games. The move doesn’t make them flawless, but it gives them a better chance to win the NBA Finals when June arrives.

When that becomes possible — which it certainly is — it becomes the clear goal. There was a strong argument to be made prior to the trade that the Cavs were in the league’s inner-circle of championship contenders, alongside Boston and Oklahoma City. This move erases any argument to the contrary. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win the title, but they’re part of any conversation about it.

That’s what pushing the chips in looks like for Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman and the rest of this organization.

“We're all in, we're trying to win this year and into the future, and that's the goal,” Altman told reporters during a virtual press conference Friday afternoon. “That's our priority and that's our motivation.”