At the last minute, the Atlanta Hawks and De’Andre Hunter have agreed on an early contract extension. The forward will stay with the Hawks until 2027.
The Hawks announced in an official statement that Hunter will receive $95 million over four years beginning in 2023. According to Michael Scotto (HoopsHype) 90 of the 95 million are guaranteed, no options are built into the contract. In 2023/24, the No.4 pick from 2019 will pocket around $20.1 million.
Hunter is considered Atlanta’s best option on the wing and will most often defend the best forward opponent. There is also hope that the 24-year-old will be able to appear more as a playmaker in the coming season and thus relieve the guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray somewhat.
Nevertheless, there are also some question marks with the forward. In the past two years Hunter has missed a whopping 78 games due to injuries, last year the winger played 53 games in which he averaged 13.4 points with odds of 44.2 percent from the field and 38 percent from the three-line.
Hunter wasn’t the only player in the 2019 class to receive a rookie extension on Monday. The Houston Rockets extended Kevin Porter Jr., the contract is very peculiar for the former No. 30 pick. The Portland Trail Blazers came to an agreement with Nassir Little. The forward gets $28 million for four years.
As a result, eleven players from the Rookie Class of 2019 received a Rookie Extension, which is a new record. In addition to the three players mentioned above, since July 1st Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), RJ Barrett (Knicks), Darius Garland (Cavs), Tyler Herro (Heat), Brandon Clarke (Grizzlies), Jordan Poole (Warriors) and Keldon Johnson (Spurs) agreed with their teams on extensions.
NBA: All rookie extensions at a glance
| player | Team | Pick 2019 | Deal | guaranteed |
| Zion Williamson | Pelicans | 1 | 5 years, 194M (up to 231M)* | with weight clauses |
| I Morant | Grizzlies | 2 | 5 years, 194M (up to 231M)* | And |
| R.J. Barrett | Knicks | 3 | 4 years, 120 million | 107 Mio. |
| De’Andre Hunter | Hawks | 4 | 4 years, 95 million | 90 Mio. |
| Darius Garland | Cavs | 5 | 5 years, 194M (up to 231M)* | And |
| Tyler Herro | Heat | 13 | 4 years, 130 million | 120 Mio. |
| Brandon Clarke | Grizzlies | 21 | 4 years, 52 million | 50 Mio. |
| Nassir Little | Blazers | 25 | 4 years, 28 million | unknown |
| Jordan Poole | Warriors | 28 | 4 years, 140 million | 123 Mio. |
| Keldon Johnson | Spurs | 29 | 4 years, 80 million | 74 Mio. |
| Kevin Porter Jr. | Rockets | 30 | 4 years, 82.5 million | 16 Mio. |
Others, on the other hand, went away empty-handed, including Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics, with whom the Celtics would have liked to extend early according to media reports. Here is an overview of which players in the class of 2019 will be entering the Restricted Free Agency next summer:
NBA: These players go into restricted free agency
| player | Team | Pick 2019 |
| Coby White | Chicago Bulls | 7 |
| Jaxson Hayes | New Orleans Pelicans | 8 |
| Rui Hachimura | Washington Wizards | 9 |
| Cam Reddish | New York Knicks | 10 |
| Cameron Johnson | Phoenix Suns | 11 |
| P.J. Washington | Charlotte Hornets | 12 |
| Romeo Langford | San Antonio Spurs | 14 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Utah Jazz | 17 |
| Goga Bitadze | Indiana Pacers | 18 |
| Matisse Thybulle | Philadelphia 76ers | 20 |
| Grant Williams | Boston Celtics | 22 |
| Darius Bazley | Oklahoma City Thunder | 23 |
| Dylan Windler | Cleveland Cavaliers | 26 |
