CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs’ first day of training camp at IMG Academy on Tuesday revealed a crucial development: De’Andre Hunter isn’t just part of the team’s plans — he’s becoming central to them.

“De’Andre, he said something earlier today that I thought was really, really interesting,” reported Chris Fedor on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast . “He said at the time that the Cavs traded for me, it felt like they wanted me, not that they needed me. And now they need De’Andre in part because of Max [Strus being injured], but in part because he was supposed to be a big piece of their playoff run.”

This shift from “wanted” to “needed” represents more than semantic wordplay. It signals a fundamental change in Hunter’s role and the team’s approach to utilizing him.

When the Cavaliers acquir

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