Hawks extend De’Andre Hunter on 4-year, $95 milllion contract

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At the 6 pm buzzer, the Atlanta Hawks and De’Andre Hunter agreed to a four-year, $95 million a year, per Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hunter’s three seasons with the Hawks have been up and down. During his first year in the NBA, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Knee injuries hampered his sophomore season, and the most recent season was riddled with inconsistent play. Still, Hunter has flashed the potential to be a premier 3-and-D wing. Look no further than his performance against the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season. Hunter was far and away the best player on the floor for the Hawks, averaging 21.2 points on 55.7% from the field and 46.2% from deep.

The former No. 4 overall pick dropped 36 in the team’s closeout game against Miami and was the only reason Atlanta had a chance to push it to Game 6. Still, the Game 5 performance was atypical; it isn’t who he’s been for most of his career. Hunter is an above-average defender and a poor ballhandler. His shot from beyond the arc was decent this year, but the rest of his game was mediocre.

Hunter averaged 13.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. However, if his performance against Miami is a glimpse into the future, it should have Hawks fans salivating. It was the type of performance that reminded everybody why he was selected 4th overall.

Earlier in the offseason, NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report commented on the situation, saying the two sides were “roughly $20 million apart on salary terms over a four-year deal.” Honestly, the $23.75 million AAV is slightly more than I expected. However, it all depends on his production and development. It’ll look like a total bargain if De’Andre Hunter comes out and averages close to 20 points with a full, healthy offseason.

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Photographer: Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire

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