‘Why would I want to be?’

Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter has broken its silence on the recent, falsely reported rumors of his desire to be traded from the team that bought him last February. Speaking to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedora at the Philadelphia shootaround, the 28-year-old veteran shot down any claims suggesting a move.

“Why would I want to be traded? I’m really happy here,” Hunter told Cleveland.com. “I have no reason not to be happy here. My time here has been great. People tend to put a time stamp on how things should look, but I think everything new takes time. You’re not going to get the best product right away. I’m a patient guy. I’ve been in the league for a while and I know how things can go, how seasons can go.

“You can start bad and finish good. You can start good and finish bad. I’ve seen it all. My biggest thing is staying level headed through all the media stuff, bad games, good games, everything. Just stay level headed.”

A league source close to the team is as confused as anyone with Hunter’s first half of the season, but he’s confident he’ll get out of this rut.

“He’s not that bad,” a source told ClutchPoints. “He’s got to be better than this. I’m just waiting for him to turn around.”

The first four months of his campaign were not up to par, but The caves stick to Hunter. His teammates realize how talented he is and see the dedication behind the scenes, and it’s only a matter of time before he comes out the other side.

“I’ve been in the league for a while and I know that work is always going to prevail,” Hunter said. “If I just keep working, keep doing what I have to do, eventually it will turn around. I’m sure of that. I’m not worried.”

The Cavs are 5-5 in their last 10 games and next play the 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Although a source called it a “disaster” year with an unacceptable lack of focus, Cleveland is still 22-19. All it takes is putting together a consistent two-to-three week stretch to be there and succeed in the Eastern Conference standings.

“It’s not completely out of the question,” the source said. “They just need everyone to play average.”