The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings and forward Emanuel Miller from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade, the teams announced on Sunday.
As part of the deal, the Cavs sent forward De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento and draft considerations to Chicago, while the Kings traded forward Dario Šarić and a second-round draft pick to Chicago.
In a corresponding move, the team waived forward Luke Travers, who appeared in 12 games this season for the Cavaliers and 15 games (10 starts) for the Cleveland Charge.
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman believes this move makes Cleveland a deeper team.
“After careful evaluation and a clearer view of the Eastern Conference landscape, we believe adding Dennis and Keon strengthens our depth, expands our flexibility, and positions us to keep building a Championship caliber team now and into the future,” Altman in a statement. “In a season defined by its parity, this move better aligns us for a deeper postseason run.”
The 32-year-old Schröder has scored in double figures 27 times and is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists per contest off the bench. The 13-year veteran will give Cleveland some instant offense off its bench, and he should be the primary backup point guard.
Ellis has appeared in 43 games (five starts) for Sacramento this season, averaging 5.6 points and 1.07 steals in 17.6 minutes. The 26-year-old guard, who is known for his defense, has recorded 12 multi-steal games this season. The four-year veteran will give the Cavs some elite defense.
Hunter was a member of the Cavaliers for parts of the last two seasons after being acquired in a trade with Atlanta last February. He has played in 43 games (23 starts) for Cleveland this season, averaging 14.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 26.2 minutes. The seven-year veteran. who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, goes to his second team in less than a year.
