The NBA Trade Deadline is coming up on February 5. Two teams that could be looking to make moves are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams need to improve in hopes of winning their respective conferences. These teams have reportedly been discussing a deal between the two teams featuring Cavs’ forward De’Andre Hunter heading to Los Angeles for Lakers’ forwards Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht.
The exact framework of the De’Andre Hunter trade, which would include a 3rd team:
Lakers receive: De’Andre Hunter
Cavs receive: Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht
(via @ChrisFedor) pic.twitter.com/b8HDtiQA7K
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 30, 2026
Chris Fedor of Wine and Gold Talk was the first to report on this potential deal.
“I just want to say from people that I’ve talked to, my sources tell me that a general framework has been discussed between the Cavs and the Lakers and a third team,” Fedor said. “It’s hard because the Lakers are right below the apron. Like $900,000 below the apron, but they are a tax team. So there are some restrictions that they have, and we all know the complications for the Cavs when it comes to trades, they can’t aggregate salaries, they only have one really first-round draft pick that they can trade, they have to be right on the number in terms of salary-matching purposes. But my sources tell me that the Cavs and the Lakers have discussed a general framework surrounding De’Andre Hunter of Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht, and then bringing in a third team.”
Los Angeles Lakers – Cleveland Cavaliers Mock Trade
Los Angeles Lakers Receive
F De’Andre Hunter
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive
F Rui Hachimura
F Dalton Knecht
Fantasy Impact Basketball Impact
De’Andre Hunter – Hunter is clearly the best player in this deal, despite having a bit of a down year by his standards, mostly because his 3P% has dipped to just 30.9% after shooting 40.5% last season; his numbers are still better across the board than anyone else in this deal. In 26.2 minutes per game, he is averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. A move to the Lakers would likely see him getting three to five more minutes a game, and the presence of playmakers like LeBron James and Luka Doncic could help him raise his career-low 3P%.
Rui Hachimura – Hachimura is playing 30.1 minutes per game, posting 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. We’d expect his minutes to take a bit of a dip with the Cavs trading Hunter, who plays 26.2 minutes per game, for two forwards. His fantasy value would likely take a slight dip because of this. However, he could have the ball in his hands more than he would if he were playing with three ball-dominant players like James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves.
Dalton Knecht – Knecht is the wild card in this trade. He has proven that he has it in him to be a dangerous offensive weapon, but things simply aren’t working out for him in Los Angeles. He’s only playing 12.4 minutes per game this season, and that number has dropped as of late despite the injuries that the Lakers are dealing with. As much as Knecht needs a fresh start for himself, it’s also clear that the Lakers are ready to move on from him as well. This is a trade that benefits both parties; it remains to be seen if it would benefit the Cavs.
Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Lakers
The Lakers get the best player in this deal to add a player who could help improve their chances of making a deep playoff run. Losing Hachimura is tough, but moving on from Knecht is something that needs to happen.
Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland moves off the top player in the deal, but he is also in the midst of a down year by his own standards. They add two players in this deal. Hachimura is a strong option who does all the little things well and is a great teammate. The Cavs are also buying very low on Knecht, who is essentially a lottery ticket in this deal.
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