With the trade made official on Sunday afternoon, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder are now Cleveland Cavaliers, and De'Andre Hunter is off to the Sacramento Kings. That night, before and after Jarrett Allen put on a show against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Cavs reacted to the deal and how it would affect the wine and gold.
“It's the unpleasant part of the business, especially when you've been with a guy for almost [a year],” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his pregame press conference on Sunday. “Dre was the ultimate professional. Team guy, heck of a player. We had a great experience with Dre. Great person.
“But there's opportunity on the other side. That's how this works. There's only 450 of these guys. We received two really good players. So, you're just hoping this situation's a win-win.”
Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is looking forward to Schroder and Ellis joining the squad. Equally, he's bummed to see Hunter's time in Cleveland end.
“It's just the part of the business where it's like, ‘D***.' But also, we're excited for what's coming,” Mitchell said postgame Monday. “You understand after; everybody in the locker room understands, but Dre was phenomenal. He texted everybody in the group chat.
“But for these guys coming in, we're excited for what they bring, and we'll see 'em soon.”
Mitchell felt the impact of both of his new teammates when the Kings were in Cleveland just 10 days ago, especially with Schroder scoring 21 points off the bench.
“First thing I think with Dennis is the playoff series last year with Detroit,” Mitchell said. “His point-of-attack defense, his disruption, we just saw it last week. Obviously, he hit a lot of shots against us. He's capable of bringing the ball up. He's capable to initate, create, find guys. He hits his little middie, hits his threes, and then also, being a disruptor. He's a guy that's gonna be great for us in the locker room, holding guys accountable 1-15. I think it's gonna be great. A veteran.
“With Keon, same thing. Obviously, he's younger, but when we played him last year, I liked competing against him because he's fiery. He picks up full court. He's energetic. He shoots it well. So there's a lot there for both of these guys to help us in this group, and we're excited.”
Atkinson has had firsthand knowledge of the tools Schroder possesses since he entered the NBA. From 2013-16, he was an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, with whom the 32-year-old international guard began his career.
“Some guys, you only describe them with the word ‘competitive,'” Atkinson said. “We can go whatever [direction]; defense, picks up full court. He's in the elite competitive bucket, always has been since he was playing in Germany.
“I'll say this: he's a champion. I know in the NBA, we don't look at [that], but European champion, world champion. There's great respect in the world basketball community for what he's done. Looking forward to him integrating to the group. He'll play his role.”
Admittedly, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows when the two's relationship started. Atkinson described Atlanta's coaches as a “pretty tough” group, which Schroder didn't respond well to initially. He and fellow assistant Darvin Ham would relay information to him if he missed early meetings. In part due to them, Schroder learned what the league demanded in terms of attention to detail and discipline.
“We'd have 8:30 ‘vitamins' we call them,” Atkinson said. “Day of game, 8:30, you have to be there, and Dennis would sometimes be a few minutes late. There would always kinda be something behind that. So, me or Darvin, we'd be one of the guys breaking the news to him, what that'd look like. So I saw him grow up, right?
“Obviously, his trajectory, he's turned into this mature, incredibly responsible, incredibly professional guy. And his story is a lot of guys' story. They just have to learn. But we were pretty tough with him. That's how you kinda form even deeper relationships when you've been through the beginning with a player. So it's great to get him and interesting to get him at this stage now, where he's done a lot, done a lot in world basketball.”
Ellis is somebody that the Cavs covet, too. Cleveland assistant Jawad Williams spent the last two seasons with the Kings as a player development coach, working with him previously. Atkinson and Cleveland's front office saw it as a “big advantage” and consulted on that knowledge while discussing the possibilities.
“It always starts with the person,” Atkinson said. “A+ grade right off the bat. Jawad was a big fan. That's part of the background you do when you make a trade like this.”
“Obviously, a really good steals guy; steals and defensive activity. But probably an underrated offensive player because of the shooting. We'll just see if we can unlock him because I think there's more there than just a spot-up shooter from what I see with his athleticism. He reads the game well. Can we use him a little bit more as a cutter and throw the ball ahead to him in transition? But man, what a get. The upside is tremendous. Excited about adding him to the group.”
Atkinson is unsure what roles both Schroder and Ellis will play yet, as it's early in the transition.
“I can't say I have a set idea right now. That'll play itself out,” Atkinson said. “Like anybody that comes in here, they've got to earn their mark and their post in the rotation. I'll have conversations with both of 'em, conversations with the staff, see what fits best.”
Cavs send heartfelt goodbye to De'Andre Hunter
Mitchell and Hunter were next to each other on the trainer's tables when they first found out the news over the weekend.
“That's my dawg. I love him,” Mitchell said. “We all wish him the best, and he was a hell of a player for us, hell of a player in general. Sometimes, things happen. This is the business. He's a pro's pro. He understands it. He works his butt off. I have no doubt he's gonna continue that.”
“I was hurt,” Jaylon Tyson added. “I was super close to Dre. He's like a brother to me now; almost a year it's been with him. He's a great player. Excited for him and his new journey, and hope everything goes well. With the new guys, hopefully they come in and help us win some games.”
Allen echoes Tyson's sentiments, noting that it's difficult to watch teammates get sent away.
“From our side, we work in the business,” Allen said. “But when you make these personal connections, it's always hard to see somebody that you've been playing even a year with; that's a long time in the NBA. It's hard to see him go.
“But Kenny talked about how in situations like this, you go to grow. You go to grow your basketball game. You go to grow as a person. I've been through it. Hopefully, he's going on to something bigger and better.”
Unfortunately, Hunter didn't work out the way the Cavs saw last year and felt he would this season. Before explaining why he felt that was the case, Atkinson credited Cleveland's organization, from the front office down to the coaching staff, for being unified in making the tough decision to move on.
“Sometimes I think these things are circumstances right,” Atkinson said. “We've had a lot of injuries. Dre was not playing with the lineups he played with last year, but that's the truth of it. He was playing with a lot of young players. So we never quite found a niche for him in terms of where he fit with this group, this year.
“I think last year he was a pretty darn good fit, and he kind of gave us everything we thought [we'd get]. This is just a different year. Sometimes that happens in this league.”
Ultimately, trade deadline time is uneasy for anyone in the NBA except those seeking a fresh environment.
“You've just got to put your head down and keep moving,” Allen said. “Honestly, in this league, anybody can get traded when guys who are better than you want to get traded.”
For the Cavs, it's about staying the course and focusing on being where their feet are.
“You've got to control what you can control,” Mitchell said. “One thing you can't do is look on Twitter. It's funny. Everybody has their own little trade, what's really gonna happen. It's just funny how some people really have no idea what the hell they're talking about.
“It's the business side of it. The emotional side, it's tough. You understand this is the business of it. You keep your head down, you keep working, stick with the guys in the locker room. When you have a group like this, it's easy to come together and rally around each other.”
