The NBA just couldn’t wait a couple more days for the wheeling and dealing to get underway.
The Cavaliers received guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, the Kings acquired forward De’Andre Hunter and the Bulls secured forward Dario Saric and two future second-round picks.
Schroder and Ellis bring backcourt depth to a Cavaliers team that sits fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Schroder, 32, is averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists per game this season, his 13th in the NBA. Cleveland will be his 11th NBA team.
Ellis, 26, is averaging 5.6 points per game. A defensive stalwart on the perimeter, he’s averaging 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks in just 17.6 minutes per contest.
Hunter, meanwhile, was Cleveland’s prize of last year’s trade deadline, having acquired him from Atlanta for Caris Levert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two pick swaps.
The 28-year-old forward is averaging 14 points per game this season, but shooting a career worst 30.8 per cent from three-point range. He joins a Sacramento squad that is 12-28, worst in the NBA.
The Cavaliers save $6.9 million of actual salary by moving Hunter, and around $40 million worth of tax money, per Sportrac’s Keith Smith. Hunter has two-years left on his contract, worth about $48 million in total.
Chicago takes on the contract of Saric, who has appeared in only five games this season. The 31-year-old big man has played just 19 games in the last two seasons.
The Bulls are waiving veteran guard Jevon Carter to make room for Saric, Charania added.
— with files from Associated Press