Giannis Antetokounmpo has grabbed the full attention of the Golden State Warriors, ending all other trade pursuits including one that absolutely no one would have seen coming.
According to The Stein Line on Saturday, the Warriors had interest in Cleveland Cavaliers wing De'Andre Hunter before Antetokounmpo's trade request from the Milwaukee Bucks changed everything earlier in the week.
Warriors had interest in De'Andre Hunter before Giannis pursuit
Golden State haven't been linked to Hunter much at all despite his presence on the trade market in recent weeks, and neither have the Cavaliers -- a team still looking to contend in the Eastern Conference -- been linked to wantaway forward Jonathan Kuminga.
However, a swap of the two former top 10 picks could have seemingly been on the cards if not for the Warriors -- and the entire trade landscape -- shifting towards the 2x MVP in Milwaukee.
"Word is that Golden State also looked into Hunter to some degree as it explored its options in smaller deals built around Kuminga's contract — raising the prospect of Kuminga reuniting with former Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland — but all that was before the Warriors' Giannis chase became their overwhelming focus at this deadline," Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote.
Hunter has been a productive player since his arrival in Cleveland 12 months ago, but Stein and Fischer cite the emergence of Jaylon Tyson and Cleveland's ambition to reduce their payroll as reasons behind their willingness to move on from the 28-year-old.
Hunter's 3-point shooting has also fallen off a cliff this season, having drilled only 30.8% from beyond the arc after a scorching 42.6% in his 27 games with the Cavaliers to end last campaign. He's still averaging 14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, but he ranks 13th on the team in plus-minus through 50 games.
With Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury, Hunter would arguably be a starter for Golden State right now as a similar-level athlete and capable scorer from all three-levels -- though hardly as polished as Butler, nor anywhere near the same level of playmaker.
Hunter has one more year remaining on his deal at $24.9 million, something that would have allowed the Warriors to preserve their cap space for the 2027 offseason. Alas, any interest in Hunter, or any other player in the entire league, has been cast to the side while Antetokounmpo remains available.