CJ McCollum’s stay in Atlanta might end up being more of a pit stop than a new chapter.
The veteran guard, recently acquired by the Hawks in a trade that sent Trae Young to Washington, was never a long-term fit in Atlanta’s plans. His inclusion in the deal was more about cap flexibility than backcourt reinvention.
For the Hawks, moving off Young’s looming $49 million player option was a financial play, and McCollum’s expiring $30.7 million contract helped make the math work. Washington got their All-Star without giving up future assets, and Atlanta cleared the books-aside from taking on Corey Kispert’s manageable deal.
But now that McCollum is actually on the floor in a Hawks uniform, the basketball fit is raising eyebrows-and not in a good way.
The Hawks are 1-4 since McCollum joined the lineup, and the on-court chemistry has been rocky. His usage rate has spiked to 29.7%, the highest on the team and even higher than Trae Young’s was before the trade.
That’s a red flag for a young squad trying to build around emerging talents like Jalen Johnson. When Young dominated the ball, at least he was setting the table for others.
McCollum, for all his scoring prowess, is wired to get buckets-not necessarily to facilitate.
That’s not a knock on McCollum’s game. He’s still got plenty to offer, especially for a team in win-now mode that needs a shot-creator who can get hot in a hurry.
But for a Hawks team that’s clearly shifting into a developmental phase, his presence is more disruptive than helpful. His veteran savvy is valuable, sure-but not when it’s coming at the cost of touches and growth opportunities for the young core.
Back in 2022, the Hawks were reportedly interested in McCollum when Portland was shopping him. But that was a different team with different goals.
Fast forward to now, and Atlanta’s priorities have shifted. They’re retooling, not contending.
And McCollum, now 34, doesn’t align with that timeline.
Unless Quin Snyder can rejigger the offensive hierarchy and get McCollum to take a backseat role-a tough ask for a player who’s long been a primary option-this situation could get even messier. The Feb. 5 trade deadline is creeping closer, and the Hawks are facing a decision: ride this out and hope it stabilizes, or move McCollum again.
The challenge? Because of trade rules, McCollum can’t be packaged with other players in a deal-he can only be moved straight up.
That limits Atlanta’s options and makes it harder to find a team that can absorb his salary midseason. But given how this experiment has started, it’s a scenario the front office has to seriously consider.
If McCollum does stick around past the deadline, the coaching staff will need to recalibrate. Jalen Johnson should be the focal point of this offense, not the new veteran in town. It’s not about disrespecting what McCollum’s accomplished-it’s about prioritizing the future over the past.
The Hawks got what they wanted financially with this trade. But if they don’t find a way to fix the on-court fit, they risk stalling the development of the very players they’re trying to build around.