a report that indicated Hunter \u2014 or at least his representation (Wasserman) \u2014 would prefer to play somewhere else<\/a>. <\/p>\n\u201cI haven\u2019t said a word about nothing to nobody,\u201d Hunter told cleveland.com following the Cavaliers\u2019 shootaround at Temple University Wednesday morning. \u201cNot about wanting to be traded. Not about anything. When I saw the article, I was just as surprised as you probably were.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, does Hunter want a trade by Feb. 5? <\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he told cleveland.com pointedly. \u201cWhy would I want to be traded? I\u2019m happy here for real. I have no reason not to be happy here. My time here has been great. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople tend to put a timestamp on how things should look. But I think with anything new, it takes time. You\u2019re not going to get the best product right away. I\u2019m a patient guy. I\u2019ve been in the league for a while and I know how things can go, how seasons can go. You can start off bad and end it good. You can start off good and end it bad. I\u2019ve seen it all. My biggest thing is remaining level-headed through all the media stuff, the bad games, the good games, everything. Just stay level-headed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sources tell cleveland.com that the organization has received offers for multiple players, including at least one for Hunter, and team decision-makers have rebuffed them to this point. <\/p>\n
One source said the Cavs \u201cdon\u2019t want to move Hunter\u201d \u2014 unless things change drastically over the next few weeks and there\u2019s no other recourse. They may even get a compelling enough offer that\u2019s perceived as an upgrade.<\/p>\n
Who knows what will happen over the next few weeks. <\/p>\n
Either way, it\u2019s become clear rivals see Cleveland as vulnerable \u2014 an underachieving second apron team, with a bloated salary cap and a bumpier-than-expected path to the Eastern Conference summit. <\/p>\n
The calls will likely keep coming. The chatter could increase. Rumors will continue to swirl. The spotlight should shine even brighter. Especially if the Cavs (22-19) keep hovering around .500, outside the conference playoff picture.<\/p>\n
And Hunter, last year\u2019s deadline prize who has not met expectations, will remain at the center of it all. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s been through this plenty of times. He knows what to expect. He even joked about onlookers over-analyzing his body language and facial expressions, looking for the slightest hint about his mood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you just have to block that stuff out,\u201d Hunter admitted. \u201cI\u2019m not really heavy on social media. I usually don\u2019t see it myself. I usually get it sent from other people and that\u2019s how I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, cap-strapped Cleveland\u2019s focus continues to be internal improvement. There\u2019s still belief in this group. A desire to see what it looks like at full strength \u2014 or close to it. Players and coaches remain supportive of Hunter, trusting that he will eventually break out of this season long funk. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not clicking,\u201d Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked specifically about Hunter\u2019s struggles. \u201cI think it\u2019s a prolonged batting slump. It happens in every sport. Trying to support him. Trying to get him some touches. Part of my job is to help him. He\u2019ll snap out of it. He\u2019s too good of a player to be playing like this. He\u2019ll turn it around. We need him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a hell of a player,\u201d Donovan Mitchell added. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that we believe in, and we trust in every day. We see the work he puts in on his body, on his shot, on everything. I think [when] you\u2019re not necessarily making shots, it can definitely feel like a lot. But we have our arms around him. He\u2019s a guy that comes in every day with the same positive spirit. It\u2019s tough. You\u2019re not always going to have great stretches. But we\u2019re continuing to have his back. It\u2019s going to come around.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Monday\u2019s inexplicable setback against the road-weary, 25-loss Jazz, Hunter was on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. He finished with a season-low two points \u2014 the second time in less than three weeks \u2014 on 1 of 5 shooting. He didn\u2019t grab a rebound. Had as many turnovers (3) as assists. Played just 18 minutes.<\/p>\n
It was a continuation of what has been one of his least productive seasons in the NBA, averaging just 14.3 points on 42.7% from the field and 30.6% from 3-point range in 27.2 minutes \u2014 a shadow of the guy Cleveland coveted for years and finally acquired a year ago. <\/p>\n
The number say the Cavs are better with Hunter off the floor \u2014 a differential of 5.4 points per 100 possessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the best feeling,\u201d Hunter said when asked about this prolonged slump. \u201cYou work so hard and the results are not showing how you want them to show. But like I said, I\u2019ve been in the league for a while now and I know the work is always going to prevail. If I just keep working, keep doing what I\u2019m supposed to do, it will eventually turn. I\u2019m confident in that. I\u2019m not worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cavs have tried a few different things to help. <\/p>\n
Following a summertime conversation, Atkinson and Hunter were in lockstep about Hunter being best utilized in the opening night starting lineup \u2014 a controversial move given Hunter\u2019s success and comfort as a sixth man during his final season with the Hawks. <\/p>\n
Then on Dec. 17, with enough data to support it, Hunter slid back into his old bench spot \u2014 a move that some around the NBA have speculated did not go over well. The thinking was two-fold: Create more scoring balance between starters and reserves and unlock Hunter. <\/p>\n
That hasn\u2019t worked either. Not yet anyway. <\/p>\n
\u201cGoing from starter to bench is definitely tough,\u201d Hunter explained. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely something that takes time to get used to, especially on a new team. Minutes are different. Rotations. Lineups. Things like that. There are going to be hiccups throughout the season. But it\u2019s still basketball at the end of the day. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as we are jelling at the right time, when we need to, and we are in the playoffs, I think that is all that matters. If we play well in the playoffs, no one is going to remember these games.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the Cavs have to get there first \u2014 and that is no longer a guarantee. <\/p>\n
Entering Wednesday night, Cleveland is seventh in Eastern Conference. The next three games come against fifth-seeded Philadelphia (twice) and reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City. By next week, it could be .500 \u2014 again \u2014 a position no one expected this deep into the season.<\/p>\n
And if that happens, the noise around the enigmatic Cavs \u2014 trade rumblings involving Hunter and others, widespread doubt about the team\u2019s legitimacy and harsh criticism tied to their performance \u2014 will become deafening. <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a high draft pick my first few years comes with a lot of criticism and stuff like that, so you definitely build tough skin and there are a lot of things that don\u2019t bother you,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cI\u2019m at the point where nothing really bothers me. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just continue to work. I believe the work is always going to show itself and, in the end, you\u2019re always going to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Three weeks from the deadline, trade winds continue to blow across the NBA. Over the last…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-413376","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}