Charles Barkley has the perfect reaction to Keon Ellis-De’Andre Hunter Kings-Cavs trade

Feb 1, 2026 - 07:30
Charles Barkley has the perfect reaction to Keon Ellis-De’Andre Hunter Kings-Cavs trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings officially kicked off the final week of the NBA trade deadline with a move that likely won’t shake either conference, but will have some long-term ramifications for both sides.

The Cavs and Kings agreed to a trade late Saturday night that would send Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis to Cleveland and De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento. The Chicago Bulls were also included in the deal, receiving Dario Saric in the process.

On the surface, the trade doesn’t appear to be a needle-mover for either side, but both teams do benefit in what the trade allows them to do.

Before getting into that, however, the Inside the NBA crew chimed in on the trade, with Charles Barkley expressing confusion at both teams for pulling off the trade.

“This trade makes zero sense for both teams,” Barkley said after the Rockets defeated the Mavericks on ESPN. “The Cavs have a legitimate chance of winning the East, and you know I’m a big Hunter fan. I have no idea what Sacramento is doing. I mean they’re getting him, but I don’t know what they’re doing. But I’m disappointed in the Cavs because I’m a big DeAndre Hunter fan.”

When asked by Kenny Smith why he wasn’t a fan of the move if he’s a fan of De’Andre Hunter, Barkley was blunt.

“[Sacramento] is not relevant!” Barkley said. “They’re not relevant. We’re not living in the future. They’re not any good. Sacramento is not good, man.”

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose second unit has somewhat struggled since the departure of Ty Jerome in free agency, the move gives the Cavs an additional ball-handler in Dennis Schroder while also allowing them to take on a solid, 3-and-D type of player in Keon Ellis.

The move makes less sense for the Sacramento Kings from a guard perspective, given that Russell Westbrook is their only real point guard now. It does, however, give the Kings a bigger body and a three-level scorer in Hunter. The trade also afford the Kings a roster spot to sign two-way player Dylan Cardwell to a standard contract before he hits his games limit.

While the move on its own doesn’t appear to be a big needle-mover, the Kings are likely to remain active on the trade market, with players like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis said to be very much available.

In 40 appearances for the Kings this season, Dennis Schroder averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, but struggled shooting just 40.8 percent from the field.

Keon Ellis played in 43 games this season, averaging 5.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 17.6 minutes per game. Starting February 9, Ellis will be eligible to sign a three-year contract extension worth as much as $52 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The post Charles Barkley has the perfect reaction to Keon Ellis-De’Andre Hunter Kings-Cavs trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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