Charles Barkley Updates His Pick to Win East, Bumps Up Cleveland Cavaliers After De’Andre Hunter Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a phenomenal season and they currently have the second-best record in the league behind the OKC Thunder. However, the table toppers of the East weren’t on Charles Barkley’s list to win the East until very recently. Following the De’Andre Hunter trade, Sir Charles is now convinced that they’re going to be the Conference Champions this season.

On Inside the NBA, Chuck talked about his growing interest in the Cavs and how the Celtics have fallen off in the ranks for him. He believes that the Celtics are very streaky with their threes on the offense.

But when they don’t convert those opportunities, they look really bad on the floor. He also thinks that the Celtics’ defense has taken a nosedive in the last couple of years. While all these elements are making the second-best team in the East look bad in his eyes, the Cavs have swept Chuck off his feet by trading for Hunter.

He said that he will now closely observe their games in the next few weeks. Chuck thinks that with a dynamic player like Hunter on their side, the Cavs are now the team to beat in the East. He said, “I’m gonna have to change my pick. I think the Cleveland Cavaliers are the frontrunners in the East now.”

Chuck praised the Cavs for pulling off this trade right before the deadline as well.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1887741982270750869

He said, “To go out and get a player as good as De’Andre Hunter and don’t give up anything, I think that was a home run by the Cavs.”

The Hunter trade came through in the final hours of the trade deadline and has added so much more strength to an already strong team.

De’Andre Hunter was traded by the Atlanta Hawks

27-year-old Hunter started his career with the Hawks in 2019. He was the fourth overall pick by the Lakers and was immediately sent to Atlanta. Shams Charania broke the news yesterday about Hunter’s trade. He wrote, “The Atlanta Hawks are trading forward De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps.”

The Atlanta Hawks are trading forward De'Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two swaps, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5fpE4LJzpK

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Hunter is known for his 3 and D play. In the season so far, he has been very effective for the Hawks, averaging 19 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 37 games. He has been shooting over 46% from the field and 39.3% from the distance.

The 6’8 forward has a defensive rating of 117.8 this season. As the season progresses into more serious games where strong teams like the Cavs would look to make a deep playoff run, Hunter’s presence will be very helpful in matchups against the likes of Jayson Tatum.