The Atlanta Hawks have been getting an unexpected boost from a veteran forward this season, via the play of De'Andre Hunter, who is playing the best ball of his career.

Hunter's early career was marked by inconsistency and injuries. However, this season, he has made significant strides in his game, becoming a reliable scorer and maintaining his defensive level.

His improved shot profile, which centers on more three-pointers, and shots at the rim, has made him a valuable offensive weapon, averaging 19.6 points in just 27.8 minutes.

His ability to score from both inside and outside the arc has made him a difficult player to guard, as he's converting on 44.6% of his long-range shots, and connecting on over 67% of his attempts near the rim - both of which shots he's taking more of.

His evolution isn't dissimilar to the one Harrison Barnes underwent some years ago, when he cut out most mid-range shots, and started to prioritize high-efficiency looks. Hunter - also a combo forward like Barnes - was stuck for a few years in identifying his niche, and how to score at a better rate. Both players are 6'8 and former lottery picks, who had to carve out their own path, and both identified shot profile optimization as the way forward.

It's an interesting case, as Barnes and Hunter could potentially inspire other big wings to find their game. A player like Chicago's Patrick Williams should certainly take some note.

As for Hunter, his ability to disrupt passing lanes and contest shots has remained, as he hasn't fully leaned into just offense, which adds significant intrigue to his future as a two-way player.

Of course, it's only a 15-game sample size, which means the Hawks can't yet bank on his production sticking for years to come.

As such, should they consider a trade, now that Hunter has seemingly gone from bad contract to good?

Hunter signed a four-year deal worth $90 million, and didn't immediately meet expectations, which resulted in criticism from the fan base. If his new-found game is indeed the new norm, Hunter will go through the rare transformation of seeing himself go from financially overrated to underrated.

The Hawks, obviously, will need to navigate that.

On one hand, Hunter is a valuable asset to the team. He's a young, talented player who is likely only going to get better if something just clicked for him. He's also a key part of the Hawks' core, along with Trae Young, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson, again assuming his play is consistent.

However, the Hawks could also use his current uptick in production to move him for a better return, than they could have had 12 months ago. This isn't to say they necessarily should, but the front office internally believes this is just a blip, a trade would make sense solely to optimize a trade return.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to trade Hunter will come down to the aforementioned front office, and their view of his future. But it's risky to pivot off of him, if this is his new norm.

At the very least, no deal should materialize before the February 6th trade deadline, as the Hawks need as much data on him for this year as possible, before they make a final call.

The optimistic view, however, would be to lean towards retaining him. And there are several reasons that support that approach.

Firstly, teams won't forget this start. Even if he cools down as the year progress, teams around the league have taken note of his play this season, meaning he should be able to retain trade value going into the summer.

Secondly, while his contract was often criticized, it's never been egregious. The salary cap is expected to increase by 10% this summer, thus lessening Hunter's cap percentage. Several teams would look at his deal and deem it just fine, and some will even view it as an asset.

Thirdly, Hunter's a 6'8 wing who can hit three's, and contribute defensively, even if his reputation as a defender coming out of college never matched expectations in the NBA. Teams are always in need of productive wings, who can play both sides of the ball.

Finally, Hunter just turned 27. He's basically in the ramp-up phase of his physical prime, which teams are aware of.

If anything, it'd behoove the Hawks to simply keep Hunter around for themselves, with the knowledge that there'll be a market for him regardless, if they ever need to push that button.

Rushing to trade him, even if they could get a fair bit in return for him, could turn out to be the wrong move.