Report: Atlanta Hawks Want to Re-Sign CJ McCollum

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Atlanta Hawks want to re-sign CJ McCollum this summer. 

McCollum becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 NBA Finals.

The Hawks acquired McCollum from the Washington Wizards in the blockbuster Trae Young trade. McCollum appeared in 41 regular-season games with Atlanta. He averaged 18.7 points per contest. 

McCollum and the Hawks lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs in six games. Atlanta hasn't won a playoff series since 2021. That's the year Young led the franchise to the conference finals. 

The 34-year-old McCollum finished the 2025-26 season averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game with the Wizards and Hawks while shooting 45.5% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 77.2% from the foul line. He's been in the NBA since 2013. 

It will be fascinating to see if McCollum re-signs with the Hawks or joins another team this summer. The Ohio native has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Wizards and Hawks. He holds career averages of 19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. 

McCollum won the 2015-16 Most Improved Player of the Year Award with the Blazers.  

NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes the Hawks' worst fear this offseason involves McCollum. 

McCollum, who came over in the Trae Young trade, basically carried Atlanta to two playoff wins by providing the shot creation and playmaking that Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the rest of the Hawks' wing group couldn't generate themselves. The Knicks eventually wore Atlanta down, but McCollum's early impact was instrumental in the Hawks going up 2-1.

The main drawback is that McCollum is 34, and banking on him to replicate that peak performance over the long term is dangerous. The risk is that the Hawks become a team paying a declining guard, based on a short playoff run, which could backfire, even with how valuable he just was.

However, a potentially mutual beneficial framework could involve re-signing McCollum to a one-year contract, which was reportedly a scenario that the Hawks were interested in shortly after the trade, according to Dallas Hoops Journal. 

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