De’Andre Hunter Rumors

Central Notes: White, Jackson, Allen, Hunter

October 9th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Coby White has added motivation to return swiftly from a calf strain that’s plagued him ahead of the 2025/26 season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. White is on track to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will be looking to build on the best two years of his career.

According to Cowley, early indications are that both the Bulls and White are interested in getting a deal done next summer. Both sides are expected to proceed with caution when it comes to his return from his calf injury.

With White sidelined in Chicago’s preseason opener on Tuesday, Kevin Huerter took the bulk of his minutes and started in his stead. If White is to miss any regular season time, Huerter would be the prime candidate to assume a larger role.

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After missing all but five games last season due to an Achilles injury, Pacers center Isaiah Jackson seems to have the inside track to the starting center role, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who details the big man’s recovery and conditioning process. “I can use my weight,” Jackson said. “I was always physical but I couldn’t move guys how I wanted to. I couldn’t play my brand of basketball. I’d get up to the offensive rim and I’d have to go straight up. Now I can bump people and move people out the way and I don’t really affected by it. Strength wise, I can play defense a little better. I can hold my own.“
The tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has proven to be effective, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates that Allen could be a name to watch at the deadline depending on how the Cavaliers open the season. According to Mannix, most evaluators view Mobley as a long-term center, so there’s a sense that the team could be open to moving Allen at some point for the right return.
De’Andre Hunter had his most successful NBA season in 2024/25 across stints with the Hawks and Cavaliers, averaging a career-high 17.0 points per game and finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting. He looks poised to carry over that momentum this fall and take another step forward, having recorded 17 points and seven rebounds in Cleveland’s preseason opener. In a subscriber-only piece, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines why Hunter’s teammates are expecting a “huge year” from the forward and why head coach Kenny Atkinson has referred to him as the club’s “offseason MVP.”

Cavaliers Notes: Lonzo, Strus, Garland, Hunter

September 29th, 2025 at 6:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Cavaliers point guard Lonzo Ball technically hasn’t played in back-to-back games since 2020/21 with Chicago. The 6’6″ pro missed two-and-a-half seasons recovering from three knee surgeries, and when he did return last year he was held out of at least one game in every back-to-back slate.

According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link), Ball told reporters during his media day availability that he may be able to suit up for both ends of back-to-back sets at some point this season, his first with Cleveland. Ball cautioned, however, that he has not discussed that possibility with the Cavaliers’ medical staff yet.

Cleveland followed up a 64-18 run in 2024/25 with a disappointing second-round playoff ouster last spring, felled in part by health issues. Backcourt depth was clearly an area of need in the offseason, and so this summer the Cavaliers swapped out former lottery disappointment Isaac Okoro to the Bulls in exchange for Ball, who – when healthy – is a versatile 3-and-D guard still capable of ball-handling and defending along the perimeter at a high level.

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Cavaliers starting wing Max Strus has provided an update on his recovery from an offseason Jones fracture, Bontemps writes for ESPN.com. Strus indicated that he is five weeks removed from his surgery and is now able to walk without a boot. He remains several months away from returning to the hardwood. “I’m in a good spot right now,” Strus said, “and everything seems to be healing.” According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the veteran sharpshooter refused to establish an exact timeline for his comeback. “I’m not going to put a timetable on my return,” Strus said, revealing that he has a six-week check-up at some point next week. “Hopefully start the recovery and get-back process from there. I’m in a good spot right now. Everything seems to be healing.”
All-Star Cavaliers guard Darius Garland had offseason surgery to address a turf toe ailment that affected him during Cleveland’s playoff run in the spring. He has resumed his workouts, but is unsure of when exactly he’ll get the green light to play, per Bontemps. “Everything is good,” Garland said on Monday. “Summer went really well. Rehab has been going really well. I’m back on the court, moving around, I’m ramping up for the season. So everything’s been good. It’s been a really good offseason. Everything’s been looking great, the doctors have been saying everything’s been looking great, so I’m happy where I’m at right now.” Garland also hinted that he does have a target return date, albeit not one he would divulge, Fedor adds. “I don’t have a date yet — that I’m going to tell y’all,” Garland said. “But I do have a date in mind.”
After finishing the 2024/25 season as a reserve for the Cavaliers, forward De’Andre Hunter is gearing up for a starting role to tip off this season, Fedor tweets. “I feel like that’s a role I will probably have,” Hunter said. While Hunter looks like the leading spot to take Strus’ spot in the starting five, it’s unclear whether the Cavs would want Strus to reclaim that spot once he’s fully healthy.

Cavaliers Notes: Strus, Merrill, Wade, Tyson, Hunter, Ball

August 31st, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Rory Maher

In a subscriber-only mailbag for Cleveland.com, Chris Fedor states that Max Strus was slated to be the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward this fall prior to suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot last week. The injury required surgery and will sideline Strus for multiple months.

Fedor cautions that while the team gave a three-to-four month timeline for Strus to return to basketball activities, his actual absence will likely extend beyond that period. As Fedor observes, Jones fractures can be tricky and slow to heal, plus the Cavaliers typically take a cautious approach to injuries — it’s possible Strus might end up missing about half of the season.

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Strus isn’t the only starter likely to be out to open 2025/26, Fedor notes, as All-Star point guard Darius Garland is still recovering from offseason toe surgery after being hobbled by the injury in the postseason. Sam Merrill, who re-signed with the Cavs on a four-year, $38MM deal this summer, is the “most obvious” player who needs to step up with Garland and Strus out, according to Fedor, who says the former second-round pick (60th overall in 2020) will likely be a replacement starter.
It will take a team effort to cover for Strus and Garland during their absences. Veteran forward Dean Wade and second-year guard Jaylon Tyson are among the other players who should get more opportunities, Fedor writes, with Wade perhaps slotting in as the fifth starter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson may prefer to have De’Andre Hunter in a sixth man role to have more scoring punch off the bench, Fedor adds.
According to Fedor, Tyson may be the biggest X-factor for the rotation, because the team had already planned him give him more run prior to Strus’ injury. The 2024 first-round pick (20th overall) will have a real chance to carve out minutes if he plays well, as Atkinson is high on him and is curious to see how he’ll mesh with the “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen once Garland returns.
Offseason trade acquisition Lonzo Ball is another player who will fit into the rotation, Fedor writes. However, it remains to be seen how active the 27-year-old guard will be. After missing two-plus years with a knee injury, Ball played surprisingly well in his return to action in ’24/25, but he was limited to just 35 games due to multiple wrist injuries.

Central Notes: Hunter, Langdon, Buzelis

August 11th, 2025 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

De’Andre Hunter started on a regular basis during his first five seasons in the league with the Hawks. In 64 combined games with Atlanta and the Cavaliers last season, he started just nine games in 64 games.

Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (subscription required) argues that Cleveland should keep Hunter in a reserve role. He notes that with Ty Jerome signing with Memphis, the Cavaliers need another high-scoring sixth man and points to Hunter as the most logical candidate — he averaged 17 points in 27.2 minutes per game last season.

Hunter may be more talented than Max Strus, the other candidate to start at small forward, but Hunter is not the best stylistic fit with the starting five, Fedor opines. The Cavs beat writer also points out that Hunter has shown he’s comfortable coming off the bench, as he receives more freedom and has an expanded offensive role.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

In his second season as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon has continued to make personnel decisions with the desire to keep his options open for future moves, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Langdon added Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert to fortify his bench without sacrificing future flexibility and it’s likely that he’ll only reach rookie scale extensions agreements with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren before the October deadline if the contract numbers match their on-court contributions.
By all accounts, Matas Buzelis wants to be a special player and is doing what is necessary to reach that status, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. With contract issues surrounding Coby White and Josh Giddey, the second-year Bulls forward has become the most important player on the roster. After averaging 22.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two Summer League contests, Buzelis has been busy in the weight room and on the court, looking to expand his game.
Former Magic guard Cole Anthony spoke about his excitement to join the Bucks. Get the details here.

Cavs’ Garland, Mobley Discuss Injuries After Game 3 Win

May 10th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

After missing a little more than two weeks due to a left great toe sprain, All-Star point Darius Garland returned to action for the Cavaliers on Friday night in Indiana, playing an important role in a decisive Game 3 victory.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, Garland was clearly playing through pain and wasn’t at his best, registering 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting, three assists, four turnovers and four fouls in 25 minutes. However, his contributions went beyond the box score, as he handled the Pacers’ full-court defense well and took ball-handling and play-making pressure off Donovan Mitchell and Cleveland’s other guards.

After the game, Garland told Fedor the return timeline for his toe injury is typically closer to four weeks than two, but he was eager to suit up with the Cavs facing an 0-2 deficit.

“I just want to be out there for my guys,” Garland said. “Everybody put their bodies and their injuries on the line. We fought through it. Just going out there to win this series.”

Head coach Kenny Atkinson told Garland not to rush back from the injury, which sidelined him for past the four playoff games leading up to Friday’s contest. But he was thrilled the 25-year-old was able to play, even if it’s not a given he’ll be ready for Sunday’s Game 4.

“(Garland) is just playing through a lot of pain, quite honestly,” Atkinson said. “To get him to play this game, let’s just say there’s a lot that goes into it and he’s kind of taking one for the team here. I think he had to push through a lot. Hopefully, he recovers. Even if we get 15, 20 minutes from him, we need it. We need another ball-handler. He can create separation. He can create advantages, even if it’s not going to be perfect with the way his health is right now.”

The Cavs also had Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and forward De’Andre Hunter (dislocated right thumb) back for Game 3 after they both missed Game 2. Hunter continues to deal with pain and swelling on his palm, particularly when catching passes, Fedor writes.

As for Mobley, he looked the closest to 100% during the victory, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in 35 minutes. That wasn’t the case earlier this week though, as Mobley said he was wearing a walking boot and was unable to put weight on his ankle prior to Game 2, when he was listed as questionable before being ruled out.

“I really wanted to play (Game 2), but definitely couldn’t,” Mobley said, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “But after that loss, I wanted to get back as soon as possible and get out there. So I was just basically day to day seeing how it felt, how quickly I heal. Normally heal pretty quick, and from there just played it by ear.”

While the Cavaliers were pleased to win the game, they recognize they still have to dig themselves out of a hole to win the series.

“We haven’t done anything,” Garland said, per Fedor. “We’re still down a game, so we’ve got to come in here Sunday with the same attitude, same mindset, and same physicality that we played with today. Just bring it again on another level.”

Cavs’ Mobley, Garland, Hunter Available On Friday

May 9th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

5:59 pm: All three injured Cavaliers will be active for Friday’s Game 3, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Head coach Kenny Atkinson said during his pregame media session that there wouldn’t be a set minutes limit for Garland, Mobley, or Hunter, but that the team would make that decision over the course of the night based on “feel” and “communication” (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star).

8:28 am: The Cavaliers played without three of their best players in Tuesday’s Game 2, in which Cleveland blew a seven-point lead with under a minute remaining to fall in a 0-2 hole in its second-round series vs. Indiana. Darius Garland has missed the past four games with a left great toe sprain, while both Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and De’Andre Hunter (dislocated/sprained right thumb) were injured in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

All three of the injured Cavaliers are officially listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 in Indianapolis, just like they were for Game 2 prior to being ruled out. However, two league sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic that the Cavs are optimistic the trio will attempt to suit up tonight.

“They participated in the walk-through and we’re hoping for the best,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said Thursday. “I think it’s frustrating for all of us, right? It’s no indictment on anybody, it’s just, injuries are a tough thing and you don’t really know unless you experience it yourself.”

As Vardon observes, even if the three players are able to play, it remains to be seen how effective they’ll be. A source tells Vardon that the swelling on Hunter’s thumb has decreased, but Mobley and Garland appeared to be hobbled during Thursday’s walk-through.

Sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that Garland continues to deal with pain and swelling in his toe, which he aggravated in the team’s first-round series against Miami. The injury has made it “incredibly difficult” for the All-Star point guard to make any “sharp movements,” Fedor writes.

“He desperately wants to get on the court,” Atkinson said of Garland. “It’s just kind of in these situations I just kind of, I step back. I support him 100%, whichever way it goes. I think he’s probably like, ‘I’ve got to get to a certain point where I can compete at a high-intensity playoff level.’ That type of intensity is tough to simulate. I guess at some point hopefully he will get out there and try it. But obviously couldn’t run or anything.”

Southeast Notes: Jaquez, Hawks, Murray, Hunter, Joseph

May 8th, 2025 at 10:14pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Heat second-year wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a strong debut season in 2023/24, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, but he followed up that successful campaign with a quieter year. He finished the ’24/25 campaign averaging 8.6 points per game (down from 11.9 last season) and was out of the rotation at times.

“It was an extremely humbling experience,” Jaquez said during his exit interview, per Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, and sometimes only after do you realize why that had happened to you.”

Jaquez’s efficiency took a slight hit in his second season and he wound up playing a reduced role, even falling out of the rotation during the second half.

“Clearly has to work on some things, which he will,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’ll work on defending in open space, defending situationally in our system, outside shooting will be key again, but he was working on that last summer. I think a full summer again, I think you’ll see big progress. He was coming out of training camp shooting the ball great. So I think we can fast track that.

“And, then, ultimately the hardest one is decision making. Schemes have changed against him. He has to be aggressive, but now there’s going to be different schemes and you graduate to different levels to this. And when there’s a second defender, making the right read and finding open guys, when he’s in a crowd.”

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The Hawks are already seeing the rewards of the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans, Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Dyson Daniels came away with the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after establishing himself as one of the league’s premier defenders. In addition to acquiring a new long-term building block, they added a veteran leader in Larry Nance Jr. in that same trade, along with two first-round picks.
Atlanta sending De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland at the deadline looks like a win-win for the Hawks and Cavaliers, Williams writes in another story. Although he’s dealing with an injury now, Hunter quickly established himself as a crucial bench piece for the Cavs, while the Hawks obtained cap flexibility by acquiring an expiring contract in Caris LeVert and moving off the $48.2MM in guaranteed money that Hunter is due over the next two years.
Cory Joseph said during his exit interview that this past season with Orlando was his favorite of his career, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. The 33-year-old was brought in to primarily serve as a veteran mentor, but ended up becoming the Magic‘s starting point guard by the end of the year after the team dealt with injuries. “Being able to come here and feel like it was a perfect fit for me, in terms of where the team was and where I was … I really enjoyed my time this season being here,” Joseph said. The Magic hold a team option worth $3.4MM on Joseph for 2025/26. He expressed interest in returning to Orlando for his 15th season, per Beede.

Mobley, Garland, Hunter Ruled Out For Game 2

May 6th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter have all been ruled out for Game 2 of the Cavaliers’ second-round series against the Pacers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets.

It’s a huge dilemma for the top seed in the Eastern Conference as they try to avoid going 0-2 in the series on Tuesday.

Mobley sustained a sprained left ankle in Game 1. Garland will miss his fourth straight game due to a sprained big toe on his left foot that has nagged him since the end of the regular season. Hunter suffered a dislocated right thumb in the series opener.

During his pregame press conference, coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t confirm that the trio was out, but stated that he and his staff made preparations for all scenarios.

“We’ve got to be ready for plan A, B, and C,” Atkinson said. “We’ve got a great group. We’ve got great leadership. We’ve always responded. Great maturity, great professionalism, and this is part of what we figure things out as a group. These experiences make you better, make you stronger as a group and we obviously have to respond on the floor, but liked our approach leading up.”

Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade are some of the players who will have to step up with a pair of Cavs starters and a top reserve unavailable.

Cavs’ Garland, Mobley, Hunter Questionable For Game 2

May 5th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Behind an impressive, balanced offensive attack and full-court defensive pressure, Indiana won its series opener in Cleveland against the top-seeded Cavaliers. As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscriber link), the big question now for the Cavs isn’t necessarily how they’ll respond in Game 2 — it’s who will be available.

Point guard Darius Garland appeared in a career-high 75 games this season, but he aggravated a sprained left big toe in Game 2 of Cleveland’s first-round series vs. Miami and has missed the past three games, including Sunday’s loss to the Pacers.

“I know it’s a tough one, especially being able to stop and start (on the toe),” head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked about Garland’s injury. “But we don’t want him out there (at) 60 percent, 50 percent the way they pressure the ball. It just doesn’t make sense.”

While Jared Greenberg of TNT hears there’s no structural damage to Garland’s toe and there’s a chance he could suit up on Tuesday (Twitter link), the two-time All-Star continues to deal with “significant pain and swelling,” according to Fedor.

Garland’s absence in Game 1 caused a “trickle-down effect” on the rest of the roster, says Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, particularly Donovan Mitchell and Ty Jerome, who put up 30 and 20 shots, respectively — more than half (5o) of the team’s overall field goal attempts (98). The Cavaliers will be under real pressure to play Garland in Game 2 after losing homecourt advantage, according to Lloyd.

“I know he’s desperate to play,” Atkinson said after the loss. “We need his speed and shot-making.”

Garland isn’t the only noteworthy Cavalier whose status for Game 2 is uncertain. Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley tweaked his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 1 after landing on Myles Turner‘s foot, while forward De’Andre Hunter sustained a dislocated right thumb on a dunk attempt mere seconds later. Atkinson was miffed that neither play resulted in a foul on Indiana, per Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“I don’t think they were dirty plays, but I think it passed a line of physicality,” Atkinson said Monday. “That line we’ve kind of been talking about where it became excessive. I don’t think this is on Indiana; I have so much respect for how they play. But the fact of the matter, that’s on the referees. Maybe they weren’t missed calls, and maybe I’m misinterpreting the rules, but I have a problem when we got two of our best players doubtful for tomorrow’s game. It’s hard for me to get my head around that.”

According to Fedor, Atkinson referred to Mobley and Hunter as both questionable and doubtful during Monday’s media session. When asked to clarify, Atkinson said they’d be listed as questionable, but there’s “real concern” about their availability for Tuesday’s game. Garland will also be listed as questionable.

“We just did shootaround today, so it was tough to really gauge kind of where he is,” Atkinson said of Garland. “So yeah, he’ll be questionable, too, for tomorrow.”

For what it’s worth, Hunter told Fedor after Sunday’s loss that he’d be ready to go on Tuesday, but Mobley was a little more circumspect about whether or not he’d be healthy enough to suit up.

Central Notes: Hunter, Giannis, Mathurin, Nesmith, Pistons

April 29th, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ 55-point blowout victory in Miami on Monday sent them to the second round and established a new NBA record — Cleveland’s +122 margin in the four-game sweep made it the most lopsided playoff series in league history, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

There was plenty to like about the Cavaliers’ dominant first-round performance against the Heat. One major positive, Vardon writes, was the strong play of reserve forward De’Andre Hunter, who bounced back in impressive fashion after he “looked a little lost” in Game 1, when he went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes.

Hunter scored double-digit points in each of the next three games, including 20.0 PPG on 63.2% shooting (66.7% on three-pointers) in the two road victories in Miami. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavaliers didn’t make any specific adjustments after Game 1 and that Hunter’s strong play in his next three outings was about him “gaining more confidence and being more comfortable.”

The Cavs led the NBA in offensive rating during the regular season (121.0) and are doing so again in the playoffs (136.2). As Vardon observes, having Hunter scoring and shooting that effectively off the bench is one significant reason why Cleveland’s offense is so dangerous.

Here’s more from around the Central:

In the wake of Damian Lillard‘s Achilles tear, Michael Pina of The Ringer argues that it would be in the Bucks‘ best interests to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later. With no clear short-term path to contention and no control of their own draft picks for the next several years, the Bucks’ best path to long-term success would be to build around the massive haul they could get in return for their two-time MVP, Pina contends.
Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, who missed Game 4 due to an abdominal contusion, had a hard time eating and sleeping after sustaining the injury in Game 3, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Mathurin has reportedly improved in recent days, but he’s not a lock to play in Game 5 on Tuesday — he’s listed as questionable.
[Update: Mathurin will be available for Game 5.]
Another Pacers wing, Aaron Nesmith, is considered probable to play on Tuesday due to a lower back bruise he suffered in Game 4 after a chase-down block on a Bobby Portis layup attempt (Twitter video link). Nesmith was lauded by his teammates for his willingness to put his body on the line, Dopirak writes for the Indianapolis Star. “That’s who Double-A is,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “What he brings doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. Some people say, like, they’re willing to die for this. Double-A is willing to die for this. He gives it his all every night and I think every team in the NBA wants a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Every team who wins big and ultimately wins it all always has a guy like Aaron Nesmith.”
It’s not uncommon for young teams making their first playoff appearance to experience growing pains as they adjust to the heightened intensity of the NBA postseason. The Pistons are going through that process during their first-round series vs. New York, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic details. “We are learning our way through every challenge that’s in front of us,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think our guys have done a great job of learning from one moment to the next.”