NBA Trade Rumors: De'Andre Hunter Subject of Significant Talks Between Pistons, Hawks

After coming out of the 2023 NBA draft with Kobe Bufkin and Seth Lundy, the Atlanta Hawks could be one of the most intriguing teams on the trade market leading into the start of free agency.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Hawks and Detroit Pistons had "significant talks" about De'Andre Hunter.

Hunter seems like a strong trade candidate this offseason if the Hawks decide to go in that direction.

Fischer noted on Thursday, the Hawks and Indiana Pacers were "making headway" on a Hunter trade before talks fell apart.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman reported leading up to the draft that Atlanta has "explored the idea of trading" the 25-year-old in order to give AJ Griffin a bigger role.

Griffin, the No. 16 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, certainly warrants more playing time based on his performance as a rookie. He averaged 8.9 points and shot 39.0 percent from three-point range on 3.6 attempts per game in 72 appearances.

Money could also be a factor in the Hawks' plans for this offseason. ESPN's Bobby Marks noted they are all but certain to be in the luxury tax with a number of recent extensions set to begin, including Hunter's and Bogdan Bogdanović's.

Hunter will enter the first season of his four-year, $90 million deal in 2023-24. He averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting from the field in 67 starts last season.

The Pistons are still in the process of building a young core that can lead them to success in the future. Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey have shown tremendous potential. They took a flier on James Wiseman in a trade with the Golden State Warriors in February.

Having just completed his fourth season in the NBA, Hunter is fairly established at this point. He's a solid role player who can provide immediate scoring help for any team.

Detroit has finished last in the Central Division in each of the past three seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 2018-19.