De'Andre Hunter, Hawks Agree to 4-Year, $95M Contract Extension

A four-year, 95 million dollar extension has been agreed to by the Atlanta Hawks and forward De'ANDRE Hunter.

He was eligible for restricted free agency in the year 2020.

The Hawks found that arriving as a contender early could be dangerous.

Atlanta re-signed John Collins and Kevin Huerter as a result of their run to the Eastern Conference finals. The former got $125 million over five years and the latter $65 million.

It was a good idea to keep a young core of emerging stars together.

The franchise finished with a 43-39 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Miami Heat. Atlanta's front office made a course correction.

Huerter was dealt to the Kings in a salary dump. There was a pick swap and three first-round picks. Collins is one of the sources of trade rumors.

His value to the Hawks quickly became clear. Michael Scotto reported that he was considered a long term piece of the foundation along with Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu.

Atlanta wanted Hunter so much. Through three seasons, he's averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebound and 0.7 steal while shooting 35.9% from the outside.

Young is a good scorer behind the first-round pick who can also be a good defender.

Tim MacMahon @espn_macmahon

Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Mavs shot 1-of-13 when Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter was the primary defender, including 1-of-9 by Luka Doncic. “He played great defense,” Doncic said.

Hunter's availability and consistency have raised questions about whether he and the Hawks would strike a deal or wait until next summer.

Hunter has missed over 80 games since entering the league. He had a wrist injury that kept him out of action for two months.

The 6'8" wing was often the jack of all trades and a master of none this past year.

"Hunter admitted in exit interviews that he feels like he's not yet great in any one area and that's something I've been saying all season." He had his moments where he was a defensive player, but he was mostly ok on that end. He doesn't do well in exams. He is not a good rebounder. He is not a good scorer at the rim. He excelled in shooting 3s this year. I thought he was exceptional to start last season before he got hurt, so maybe a healthy off-season can be the difference for him.

A player's relationship with a team can be adversely affected by allowing the extension deadline to pass without a deal. The Phoenix Suns are an example of that.

Hunter and the Hawks did not want to make any final agreements before October. He might have earned more if he'd allowed the 2022-23 campaign to play out because of his injury history.

The two sides were able to finish negotiations now.