De’Andre Hunter and the Hawks have not yet come to terms on the forward’s contract extension. The Hawks exercised his $9,835,881 team option for the 2022-23 season on Oct. 15, 2021. However, Hunter is asking for a new deal. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, both sides are about $20 million apart on a future contract extension.
“Early indications are that Atlanta and Hunter have not found much progress in extension talks, where both sides stand roughly $20 million apart on salary terms over a four-year deal,” explained Fischer. Considering the third-year player missed two months due to wrist surgery last season, it makes sense why Hawks G.M. Landry Fields is hesitant to offer the 24-year-old a larger contract.
Besides Hunter, the Hawks have Maurice Harkless, John Collins and Jalen Johnson as available forwards. To add to those three other players, during the 2022 NBA Draft, the team selected AJ Griffin 16th overall. Griffin was selected to the ACC All-Rookie Team with Duke last season.
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De’Andre Hunter regressed in the 2021-22 regular season
Moreover, Hunter played better in the 2020-21 season compared to last season. He averaged 15 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 23 games played of the 2020-21 season. Last season, the forward averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
While not quite reaching his career high in scoring, the forward did have a few notable performances. In the Hawks’ 117-108 loss to the Nets on Nov. 3, 2021, Hunter scored a season-high 26 points in 33 minutes of action. He ended his outing 10-for-11 from the field and a flawless 6-for-6 from downtown.
Plus, in the team’s 117-114 win against the Wizards on Mar. 4, the forward tied his season high in scoring with 26 points in 35 minutes spent on the court. He closed out his performance shooting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Not to mention, Hunter went from shooting 48% from the field in 2021 to 44% this year. As stated above, he missed a couple of months due to a tendon injury in his right wrist.
However, while Hunter underperformed in the regular season, he shined in the playoffs. During the first round, the forward averaged 21.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He shot 55% from the floor and 46% from 3-point range as well.
In the Hawks’ 110-86 loss to the Heat in Game 4, the forward scored 24 points in 31 minutes played. Then, in Game 5, the third-year player finished with playoff career-highs 35 points and 11 rebounds in the Hawks’ 97-94 loss to the Heat. If John Collins is going to get traded, Fields might as well offer De’Andre Hunter what he’s asking.
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Hawks’ offseason signings and trades
Last month, the Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari, a 2023 first-round draft, a 2025 first-round draft pick, a 2026 first-round draft pick and a 2027 first-round draft pick to the Spurs for Jock Landale and Dejounte Murray. In the 2021-22 NBA season, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2 steals per game in a total of 68 games played.
On top of trading Gallinari, the front office agreed to trade Kevin Huerter to the Kings for Maurice Harkless, Justin Holiday and a 2024 first-round draft pick. Atlanta also received a trade exception.
Additionally, the Spurs waived Gallinari, and he later signed with the Celtics. The Hawks then traded Landale to the Suns for cash and a trade exception. Next, the Hawks signed free agent center Frank Kaminsky to a one-year deal.
Furthermore, the Hawks also signed guard Aaron Holiday. In the 2021-22 season, while with the Suns, Holiday averaged 6.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
And the team signed guard Tyrese Martin to a multi-year contract. In a total of five Summer League games, Martin averaged 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Per team policy, the terms of these contracts were not disclosed. More articles pertaining to De’Andre Hunter or the Hawks are on the main page.
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