De'Andre Hunter is a 6-foot-7 Sacramento Kings 3-and-D forward and 2019 NCAA champion with Virginia, where he was ACC Defensive Player of the Year, drafted fourth overall in 2019 and known for his shooting and versatile perimeter defense.
Model lines Hunter at 13.9 pts (range 11.2–16.6) vs a 14 line — roughly a coin flip to clear it (48%).
Model favors Portland Trail Blazers (67%), projected 111–114, ~225 total at 96.2 pace.
De'Andre Hunter hit the shot that saved a national championship — then became an NBA 3-and-D staple.
At Virginia he won ACC Sixth Man of the Year, then Defensive Player of the Year while leading the 2019 title team, scoring 27 in the championship game.
Drafted fourth in 2019 and sent to Atlanta, he grew into a dependable 3-and-D wing scorer and signed a nine-figure extension.
Trades took him to Cleveland in 2025 and Sacramento in 2026 — a versatile two-way forward wherever he lands.
A strong, switchable 3-and-D forward who hit one of the biggest shots in NCAA title-game history, De'Andre Hunter turned a championship pedigree into a steady NBA scoring-and-defense role.
De'Andre James Hunter was born December 2, 1997 in Philadelphia. At Virginia he won ACC Sixth Man of the Year as a redshirt freshman, then led the top-seeded Cavaliers to the 2019 national title — scoring 27 with a clutch game-tying three in the championship game — while earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Drafted fourth overall in 2019 (by the Lakers, rights traded to Atlanta), he became a reliable 3-and-D wing scorer for the Hawks and signed a four-year, roughly $95M extension in 2022.
A February 2025 trade sent him to Cleveland, and a February 2026 deal brought him to Sacramento — a versatile two-way forward across three franchises.
Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.
Hunter grew up in the Lawncrest neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he was a Pennsylvania Class AA Player of the Year in high school before starring at Virginia.
His signature moment remains the 2019 title game — a game-tying three in the final seconds of regulation that helped send Virginia to an overtime championship.
Physical, composed and defensively versatile, Hunter is a prototypical two-way wing built on his championship pedigree.
Two-Way Wing
Hunter is a strong catch-and-shoot three-point shooter (mid-30s) and reliable free-throw shooter who defends multiple forward positions — the 3-and-D archetype rooted in his college Defensive Player of the Year pedigree.
Scoring Punch
He can create some of his own offense, with a career-high 35-point game, giving him more scoring pop than a pure spot-up wing.
Playmaking & Health
Modest passing output and an injury history — including a 2026 retinal-detachment surgery — are the main caveats around his otherwise steady two-way profile.
Per game
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 43 | 26.2 | 14.0 | 4.2 | 2.1 | .423 | .308 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.
Where he sits in history
Hardware
A two-way forward recovering from a 2026 eye surgery.
Hunter arrived in Sacramento in February 2026 as a proven 3-and-D forward, but suffered a retinal detachment shortly after and underwent season-ending surgery. Healthy, he projects as a complementary two-way starter; his exact Kings contract terms are unconfirmed.
Contract
A championship-tested 3-and-D forward — a versatile two-way wing when healthy.
Scoring 27 points with a clutch game-tying three in Virginia's 2019 NCAA championship win over Texas Tech.
Fourth overall in 2019 — by the Lakers, with his rights traded to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night.
No. His major honors are collegiate — the 2019 national title and ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
A 3-and-D forward — a strong perimeter shooter and versatile multi-position defender.