De’Andre Hunter and the Atlanta Hawks agreed to a new four-year contract, $95 million contract. After a summer full of questions and uncertainty, regarding Hunter’s future with the team, Atlanta locked up their starting small forward on the eve of the 2023 NBA season. Atlanta signed Hunter right before the 6 p.m deadline for rookie scale extensions, meaning he will avoid being a restricted free agent next summer.
Hunter has been solid player when healthy and a player the Hawks are very high on. The key is remaining healthy, as Hunter has missed months of action in multiple seasons, due to various injuries. Nevertheless, the sky is the limit for the former-Virginia Cavalier. ESPN reported the stat below from the 2022 season:
“During the regular season, Hunter matched up on defense 761 times against 2022 NBA All-Stars, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. The 2022 All-stars recorded a 45.7% effective field goals percentage when facing Hunter — that ranked him top-10 among 57 players to record 500-plus matchups [ESPN.com/Adrian Wojnarowski].”
Hunter joins Trae Young & John Collins, with his new multi-year contract, and being an integral part to this team moving forward. Hunter has potential to develop into a reliable third option, behind Young & Dejounte Murray. His defensive presence and growing offensive game could be a game changer for a young Hawks team.
Hunter has career averages of 13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1,6 apg, on 43.4% shooting from the field and 35.9% from three point land.
