NBA trade grades 2026: Cavs get Keon Ellis, Dennis Schroder - ESPN

The NBA trade deadline is closing in — it's at 4 p.m. ET on Feb. 5 — and we finally have a second trade of the year (and grades for both deals). The first trade featured the Atlanta Hawks dealing star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Now, three weeks later, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls completed a swap that saw the Cavs add Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, the Kings get De'Andre Hunter and the Bulls take on Dario Saric and two draft picks.

We're grading every deal up until the deadline, breaking down the ramifications for all teams and players involved. Let's get into the latest move:

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Cleveland Cavaliers get: G Dennis Schroder, G Keon Ellis
Sacramento Kings get: F De'Andre Hunter
Chicago Bulls get: F Dario Saric, two future second-round picks

Grade for Cleveland: B+
Grade for Sacramento: C
Grade for Chicago: A

What this deal means for the Cavaliers: Ellis improbably became one of the most in-demand players at the deadline while playing a smaller role than last season because of his minimum salary, combined with a 3-and-D skill set that fits better on a contending team than it did in Sacramento.

In part, Ellis' role has shrunk because he hasn't shot the ball as well as last season, when he hit an effective 64% of his shots when accounting for the added value of 3-point attempts. This season, he has slumped to 37% on 3s and just 46% inside the arc, both his lowest marks in a full season. (He played just 71 minutes in 2022-23 as an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract.)

Over the full sample of his career, Ellis is at 42% on 3s and