The Atlanta Hawks haven't given forward De'Andre Hunter a contract extension yet in the offseason, and maybe they shouldn't at all.

De'Andre Hunter has had three very strange seasons in the NBA. The COVID-19 pandemic ended his rookie campaign before it had event started. His second season was also ruined by knee problems. His third year showed the most gains and promise, though only incrementally. That is significant because, in a season where most of the Hawks underperformed, De'Andre Hunter's steady improvement was one of the few remaining bright spots.

When the Hawks sent Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks in January, they pretty much sent a clear message that they were handing Hunter a bigger role. Hunter returned the favor by playing well to close out the regular season and against the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

The 24-year-old is now qualified for a rookie contract extension. As such, this is the most important offseason of Hunter's career. As of now, no contract extension has been offered, which means he will likely pursue restricted free agency next year. The same thing happened to another Atlanta Hawl — John Collins in 2021. The speculation is the Hawks aren't ready to commit the same price Hunter believes he deserves; therefore, unless he is ready to accept less, restricted free agency probably awaits.

We cannot blame the Hawks, though. There are some red flags to take into account when it comes to De'Andre Hunter.

*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

3 reasons Hawks must be wary of De'Andre Hunter contract extension

Injury history

Hunter's injury history is his biggest red flag. In fact, that's the biggest reason fans and observers still don't completely understand who he is as a player. He has been recovering from injuries for the majority of the last two years.

Last season, De'Andre Hunter had a tendon injury in his right wrist that required surgery. That sidelined him for 26 straight games. In Hunter's absence, the Hawks finished 13–13.

Hunter, however, did play 53 regular-season games. That's up from 23 the year before but still less than the 63 he played in his rookie campaign. The good news is that his knee finally looks strong after undergoing two surgeries. His sole absence from on-court activity last season was a coincidental wrist ailment.

Due to his history of injuries, some believe Hunter may accept a deal that is below what he is capable of. That would be favorable to the Hawks, who don't look ready to commit to a player who has played an average of just 46.3 games over his first three seasons in the NBA.

Scoring inconsistency

Aside from injuries, the small forward has also struggled with inconsistency. Though he has had scintillating clutch performances, De'Andre Hunter frequently has mysterious off-nights where he just doesn't make any positive impact on the floor. That is perplexing for a front office looking to prioritize long-term consistency, especially after a 2021-2022 season that looked vastly different from their successful 2020-2021 campaign.

After recovering from this wrist injury, Hunter made his comeback on January 12. He then started all but one of the subsequent games before moving back to the bench. In that stretch, Hunter averaged 13.4 points per game to conclude the regular season. That's down from his scoring average in his sophomore season. In fact, most of his numbers went down last year, with the exception of his three-point shooting.

Hunter is a strange offensive option because, given his size, length, and athleticism, he should do much better, especially when it comes to scoring around the basket. We saw a glimpse of how good he could be in the Hawks playoff series against the Heat, where Hunter put up 21.2 points per game on 55-46-80 shooting splits. It remains to be seen, however, if that performance was an indication of where he's headed or if it was just a flash in the pan.

Rebounding aversion

Another puzzling element of Hunter's game is his seeming aversion to rebounding. Last season, Hunter finished with fewer rebounds than nine Hawks players.

At 6'8, De'Andre Hunter should be rebounding much more, but he found himself behind players like Kevin Huerter and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. He averaged just 3.3 boards per game last season, and that is cause for serious concern. The Hawks look at him, and for a player of his height and athleticism, this kind of rebounding is unacceptable.

This obvious weakness in his game will get even more pronounced given Hunter's increasing position on the squad. This is surely one of the things making it difficult for Hawks decision-makers to commit to his extension.