De'Andre Hunter is sending a $48 million message to the Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers v Washington Wizards | Scott Taetsch/GettyImagesThe Cleveland Cavaliers made a massive statement before the 2025-26 regular season: they were willing to pick up the tab on this expensive roster in hopes of a championship pursuit. That commitment looks worse by the day. De'Andre Hunter is right at the epicenter of that.

Cleveland gave up a considerable haul to pry Hunter away from the Atlanta Hawks. That maneuver included taking on what was left of his four-year, $90 million rookie extension that was signed with his old franchise.

The immediate returns were encouraging. Hunter averaged 14.3 points per game, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond…