Hawks sign De’Andre Hunter to $95 million deal; other UVA player updates

By Jerry Ratcliffe

During his playing days at Virginia, De’Andre Hunter earned a reputation for making the big play at the last second. Things haven’t changed.

In an 11th-hour deal just before Monday’s 6-p.m. deadline, Hunter agreed to a four-year, $95-million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The No. 4 overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Hawks made it a priority to pick the former UVA player and the club certainly wasn’t interested in allowing the 24-year-old budding star to hit restricted free agency after the upcoming season.

In 2021-22, Hunter was again plagued with injuries and hopes to enter this season fully healthy. Last year, he averaged 13.4 points in 53 games for the Hawks and shot 38 percent from the 3-point line.

In other UVA-NBA news, Hunter’s former teammates received some bittersweet news.

The Los Angeles Lakers officially waived Jay Huff, but Mamadi Diakite was signed to a two-way contract by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, former Wahoo Mike Scott, a longtime NBA player most recently with the 76ers, has signed a contract with a professional team in France, Le SLUC Nancy Basket.