De’Andre Hunter has knee surgery; Hawks expect him back by preseason

Hawks‘ second-year forward De’Andre Hunter underwent surgery today for a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee, according to a team press release. He is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of preseason.

Hunter had a breakout start to his second year in the NBA, but his season was derailed by knee injuries after just 18 games, and several attempts at an early return went poorly. He looked to be rounding back into shape during the Hawks’ first-round series against the Knicks, but started experiencing swelling that caused him to miss the first two games of Atlanta's series against the Sixers before the injury was announced.

We have more from around the Southeast Division:

• Trae Young is being listed as probable for the Hawks’ Game 5 due to right shoulder soreness, tweets Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Young said that he injured the shoulder in Game 3 but kept it to himself due to a desire to play in Game 4, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “I wasn’t gonna tell nobody anyways other than the training staff,” he said, which might explain why head coach Nate McMillan claimed to have not known about the injury before tip-off. Young finished the game with 25 points and 18 assists, tied for second-most in Hawks history, as he helped lead Atlanta to a comeback victory to tie the series at two games apiece.
• Heat guard Goran Dragic, coming off a magical Finals run, had a disappointing season by his own standards, much of which was due to a string of injuries that prevented him from getting any real rhythm. The Slovenian guard opened up to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald about his struggles with injuries. “I think I opened the season pretty well; I played well,” Dragic said. “Then just nagging injuries, a couple of injuries, COVID protocols, players in and out of the lineup. Sometimes you’re starting, sometimes not. It’s tough to catch a rhythm like that when you play two or three games and then you’re out for nine.” He’s hoping that this offseason will give him time to get his body right and be ready for next season. Dragic has a $19.4 million team option this summer, which will force the Heat to make a decision.
• Sindarius Thornwell may not have had a huge impact on the Magic in his seven games with Orlando, but he proved himself a capable defender and physical player, writes Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. But Orlando is going into the offseason with a roster filled with promising guards, and Thornwell is likely the odd man out. Parry writes that Thornwell could parlay his play with the Magic into a deal with another team.
• Barry Jenkins of the Miami Herald examines if it could be worth it for the Heat to explore trading Bam Adebayo in a package for a star such as Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal, and what the ramifications of such a move could look like.