De'Andre Hunter

The Lakers pick Virginia Forward De'Andre Hunter who will be traded to the Atlanta Hawks via New Orleans with the 4th overall pick.

De'Andre Hunter is the perfect modern wing on paper - he looks like he was built in a lab to be one of the easiest plug and play players in the NBA. He's 6'8, 7'2 wingspan, and 220 lbs with plenty of strength a full NBA frame. You can definitely understand why the Hawks pretty easily gave him a 4 year 90 M contract with the potential he's always had. And at the surface, his numbers look pretty solid too, especially for someone who's calling card is supposed to be on the defensive end.

15.4 / 4.2 / 1.4 on 46 / 35 / 82 % shooting.

Yet, every time I watch the Hawks, I barely notice him. Part of it is that he gets his points pretty fluidly within the flow of the offense, which isn't a bad thing. He doesn't need to make wow offensive plays. But, on defense - you'd expect to notice a guy like him on ball or off ball, slowing down the opponents best player and disturbing passing lanes. That's what made me took a little deeper look - and it was pretty surprising, especially on the defensive end.

• Rebounding: 7.3% TRB - that's very low for a 6'8 super athletic wing

• Steal Rate: 0.8% - that's again shockingly low for a long defense first player

• Block Rate: 0.7% - again, very low for his size and strength

• Most advanced cumulative stats (which are awful, so take it with a grain of salt) like DBPM, DRAPTOR, etc grade him as a negative defender

What's holding him back? Is it a feel for the game? Does he not play hard? He was pretty hard to watch against Boston today, but honestly - he feels consistently underwhelming.

For the Hawks - if this is who he is, do they need to just figure out how to move on from him? Saddiq Bey isn't a great defender, but seems to play hard and also is much more of an offensive threat. Jalen Johnson is a way better rebounder and disruptive defender, but can't quite shoot yet. AJ Griffin shows plenty of promise, especially on offense. Is it better to sell high on Hunter if they still can?

I dont know his game.

6'8, 220 lbs and shoots 40% on 3s on almost 5 attempts a game. Overall shooting 46/40/90 - what am i missing? is he a bum? zero defense?

I’m trying to pinpoint realistic trade targets at the deadline for my Oklahoma City Thunder, and I’ve landed on DeAndre Hunter. It’s been reported that he and Capela are both available, but I’m having a really difficult time gauging his trade market. I don’t really understand the reason you’d want to trade him, to be honest. Is it because you want his money off your books? Is it get a better piece?

In terms of salaries, we can send over expiring contracts alongside a FRP or two, which seems fair in a vacuum but I’m entirely unsure of what direction your front office wants to go.

My trade proposal:

Oklahoma City receives: DeAndre Hunter

Atlanta receives: Davis Bertans, Aleksej Pokusevski, Rockets ‘24 FRP (top-4 protected), ‘25 OKC/LAC pick swap

What do you guys think? I’m genuinely curious.

Deandre Hunter can’t dribble, drive, pass, rebound or react to myriad situations quickly. He isn’t much of a shooter and he’s an overrated defender. He has a poor motor, which is a blessing on offense, as he’s so bad you’re glad he’s doing nothing. He isn’t automatically a good athlete because he looks like an underwear model. But he sure is rich because of it.

Based on his hype coming out of UVA I could definitely see a world where Dre would be a near consensus #1 in this draft.

If risacher is close that tells you smth, Dre was seen as better at basically everything other than perhaps 3pt volume (not even a worse shooter imo). What do yall think

Assuming the package is Maxi/Green + draft capital, which of these guys would you rather take? All 3 are on big, long-term contracts that may be looked to be moved this summer. None of them are perfect, but they all would fit pretty well in what we're looking to add in a 3&D+ wing.

Contract wise starting this offseason

Hunter- 21.7/23.3/24.9

Grant- 29.7/32/34.2/36.4 (po)

Wiggins- 26.2/28.2/30.1 (po)

This is according to an interview with their GM this morning. Make sure he's not on your wire! Just scooped him up in my non-IR league.

DeAndre Hunter is the most mid player I have ever seen. He plays for the most mid team in the league, is mid offensively and defensively and is even mid statistically and with the eye test. His name is a 2K autogenerated name and he looks like a 2K autogenerated player. I’m convinced he is a 2K autogenerated player that has come to life. If the Hawks trade him now they will either become a bottom team in the league by far or one of the best teams in the league.

What do you all think about De'andre hunter performance so far. I always liked his 3&D abilities but now if his efficiency is sustainable I think this is a huge small jump!

I had a previous post on Big O a few days ago but I think this is also a huge make or break year for Hunter. The hunter stays vs goes crowd imo seems 40/60 maybe even 30/70 but this obviously indicates there are those who still believe he can provide for the team.

What do you wanna see from Hunter this season?

Are you happy if he’s a starter? Or is it better if he comes off the bench like he did at the back end of last season.

Would you be cool if he averages similar number to his last few years or is it that time where he absolutely needs to take some sort of leap?

Or do some of you think he’s hit his max and want him off the books/traded?

Source:

Several teams have shown interest in pursuing Siakam via trade over the past three months, but the external market has been tempered a bit due to the fact that it’s been made clear, league sources say, that Siakam would not extend with a team that trades for him. Still, the Atlanta Hawks have been the strongest suitor for Siakam, and talks between them and Toronto were fluid and ongoing as recently as Las Vegas Summer League in July.

Atlanta has offered a package centered around De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and draft compensation to Toronto for Siakam, league sources say. But the Raptors are believed to have upped the price on any possible deal at each turn.

Never thought I would say this but dude is balling 🔥