Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter has run into a slump that has made a lot of people throughout the league question whether or not the Sixth Man of the Year candidate in 2024-25 should get moved at some point this season.
Through 35 games this season, Hunter is averaging 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, but he is struggling to make shots as of late, shooting 39.2 percent from the field and 26.2 percent from three since the start of December.
Kenny Atkinson addresses De'Andre Hunter's struggles
While in a shooting slump like this, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson is still trying to understand the struggles Hunter's going through.
"You support because he's got a long body of work in this league. I don't know. We've got to figure it out because obviously it's not just on the player. It's on the coaching staff," Atkinson said, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "Just got to support him and give him confidence until he breaks out."
Cavs have 'rebuffed trade offers' with at least one package including De'Andre Hunter
Fedor also reported that "team decision-makers have rebuffed trade offers to this point, including at least one for (De'Andre) Hunter."
It seems that the Cavaliers are building a small sense of panic ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
With a 22-19 record after their loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Cleveland is three games above.500 as they have back-to-back contests against the Philadelphia 76ers (22-16) on Wednesday and Friday before taking on the NBA's best Oklahoma City Thunder (33-7).
With trade talks surrounding players like Darius Garland and De'Andre Hunter, it will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers' front office stays patient to see how the rest of the season plays out, or if they have come down to their last straw and make a big trade before the deadline.
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