The 2024-25 regular season had the Charlotte Hornets scrambling to find rotation-level wing players because of injuries. Maybe they can answer the issue this summer by bringing in a free agent, and De'Andre Hunter could be available if the Cleveland Cavaliers don't play their cards right.
The veteran provided the Cavs a needed boost at the wing spots after they traded for him a few days before this year's deadline. His ability to get buckets helped strengthen the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed's bench scoring. And at 6-8, his height made him the perfect complement to its undersized backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, it might be unable to afford to bring back Hunter, who can command a hefty pay in the market in the offseason. According to Sam Vecenie of "Game Theory Podcast," the organization faces a dilemma because it has three guys — Hunter, Ty Jerome, and Sam Merrill — it would like to retain but could be in demand in free agency. An already massive payroll stands in its way, though.
That could give the Hornets an opportunity to swoop in if they think Hunter is the perfect addition to the roster.
De'Andre Hunter would fill a hole for Hornets
One of the team's glaring weaknesses this year was dismal offense from both the starters and reserves. Injuries certainly contributed to it, especially with Tre Mann having sat on the sidelines since late 2024. Even so, Charlotte cannot just wait for Mann to return to pick up the scoring slack for the bench. It still needs more pieces that can be relied upon to put the ball in the basket.
Hunter has never averaged less than 12.3 points per game in his career and has shot 45.2 percent from the field in his first six seasons. He has also been efficient from long distance, sinking 2.5 3-pointers per contest on 40.5 percent shooting in the 2024-25 campaign.
Defensively, the former Atlanta Hawks lottery pick has yet to show his true potential, although he has been able to hold his own against certain matchups. It's worth noting that he earned a couple of Defensive Player of the Year awards in college, so he could be the perfect 3-and-D wing the Hornets have been desperately searching for.
It might be costly for Charlotte to pursue Hunter, though. Despite the franchise's lowly standing, it is lacking in cap space, with a lot of money currently tied up to LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Jusuf Nurkic, Grant Williams, and Josh Green.
The Hornets would probably have to trade some pieces, like Nurkic and Green, somewhere to free up the space they need to pursue Hunter. It would definitely be more worth it than trying to shuffle two-way players to solve their dearth of depth at the wing.