Guard CJ McCollum and the Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a one-year, $21 million contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The 13-year veteran was eligible to sign an extension until June 30. As an unrestricted free agent, McCollum was virtually certain to attract attention on the open market from playoff contenders looking to add outside shooting, ballhandling and playmaking. But the Hawks are also among those teams and are bringing back their third-leading scorer from last season.
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McCollum was ranked as the 10th best free agent available on Yahoo Sports’ big board and third among free-agent point guards.
If he ends up being traded during the upcoming season, McCollum will be rewarded for it. The one-year deal includes a trade kicker, his agent told Charania.
McCollum, 34, averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1 steal per game, shooting 36% on 266 3-point attempts for Atlanta after being acquired from the Washington Wizards along with Corey Kispert in a trade for Trae Young.
During the playoffs, McCollum was responsible for handing the New York Knicks two of their three losses during their run to the NBA championship. The Knicks actually trailed the Hawks 2-1 in the series, a development that will surely be looked back upon with surprise when looking back at New York breaking its 53-year championship drought.
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In Game 2 of the Hawks’ first-round series versus the Knicks, McCollum hit the go-ahead shot with 7.1 seconds remaining for a 107-106 victory and scored 32 points overall. He came through in the clutch again for Game 3, knocking down a midrange jumper with 12.5 seconds remaining for a 109-108 win, scoring 23 points in total.
McCollum was dealt to the Wizards before the 2025-26 season from the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team deal that also included the Houston Rockets. Among the other players in that deal, Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey went to the Pelicans while Cam Whitmore and Kelly Olynyk accompanied McCollum to Washington.
In his 13 NBA seasons, McCollum has averaged 19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 40% from 3-point range. He played nine seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers and four with the Pelicans before his stints with the Wizards and Hawks.
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