The Atlanta Hawks have had an explosive offseason. After regressing pretty significantly last season, Atlanta knew they had some work to do this offseason to improve their team. They achieved many of their desired improvements this offseason when they were able to swing a blockbuster deal with the San Antonio Spurs for Dejounte Murray.
The Hawks could emerge as a surprise title contender in the Eastern Conference this season as a result of their work this offseason. Pairing Murray with Trae Young will give Atlanta one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA, and having John Collins as a solid third option behind them should make the Hawks tough to beat.
It's clear the Hawks put together a strong offseason campaign. But they could have had an even better offseason of work if they made this major move along the way. Let's look at what that move is and see how it would have benefitted Atlanta.
Hawks offseason move they needed to make
Extend De'Andre Hunter
De'Andre Hunter has had a bit of an inconsistent start to his career. He's struggled to stay on the court, and even when he has, the results have been a mixed bag. But it's clear he has a ton of potential, and he looked like he may be close to realizing it towards the end of last season.
Hunter was a consistent presence in the Hawks starting lineup, and he turned in some solid yet unspectacular per game averages as a result (13.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 44.2 FG%). He came on strong towards the end of the season, and showed that he may finally be putting all the pieces of his development puzzle together.
The Hawks ran into the Miami Heat in the playoffs last season, and while they were eliminated in five games, it was tough to not be excited about Hunter's performance throughout the series. Hunter took his game to another level against one of the best defensive teams in the league, as he averaged 21.2 points per game on 55.7 percent shooting. That's what the Hawks are going to need more of from Hunter this upcoming season.
The fourth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft hasn't had an easy time recognizing his potential, but he may very well be on his way to doing so. And considering he was eligible for an extension this offseason, it made sense for Atlanta to explore locking up Hunter on a long-term deal.
The timing of the move made a lot of sense. The Hawks aren't going to give Hunter the max extension he's eligible for, which would allow them to potentially get a really good deal for him. Hunter hasn't played well enough to command some sort of massive deal, and given the potential he has flashed over the past season, that's good news for the Hawks.
The problem is that they haven't extended Hunter yet. They have an opportunity to land a really good forward on a deal that could be well below market value in the next couple of seasons. Yet they haven't done so for whatever reason.
The last we heard about a potential extension for Hunter is that he and the Hawks were about $20 million apart in negotiations. That's not the biggest gap in talks ever, but it's still pretty big, and chances are we won't see an extension get done before the start of the season.
This could end up being a huge mistake on the Hawks part. They have an opportunity to lock up Hunter on a cheaper deal now and have refused. If Hunter can put together a full season of success like he had against the Heat, Atlanta is going to have a big problem on their hands moving forward.
Of course, there's a chance that Hunter doesn't develop and continues to wade through mediocrity. But given how good he was to end the season for the Hawks last year, it seems like he's on the verge of breaking out. Atlanta would be wise to commit to him before it's too late.
By not extending Hunter this offseason, the Hawks are risking losing a lot of money. That $20 million gap in negotiations could quickly double or triple if Hunter breaks out during the 2022-23 season. And given the improvements the Hawks have made this offseason, chances are it will help Hunter improve as well.
The Hawks insistence on not extending Hunter feels like a missed opportunity to capitalize on his potential. Signing him to a new deal now is a bit risky, yes, but there are a lot of signs pointing to Hunter being able to put together a breakout campaign next season. And by not extending him now, the Hawks could end up losing a lot more money, making this the big move they should have made this offseason.
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