CJ McCollum was a spark Atlanta needed when he arrived midseason from Washington as part of the Trae Young trade. He averaged 18.7 points and 4.1 assists a night and provided shooting, floor spacing and a little shot creation when needed — and then he stepped it up against the Knicks in the playoffs.
McCollum will be back in Atlanta next season on a one-year, $21 million contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by others. McCollum has a 7.5% trade kicker in this deal, should the Hawks end up looking to move him midseason.
McCollum returning on a good-sized one-year contract was expected, and this is a good deal for both sides. McCollum proved he still has something to contribute, but he will turn 35 before next season starts and is not in the Hawks’ long-term plans. This also fits a pattern for McCollum, who, each time he could reach free agency in his career, has signed an extension with his existing team, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN.
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Atlanta has the No. 8 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and, if they keep it, likely will draft a player they see as the point guard of the future. In the latest NBC Sports Mock Draft, we have Atlanta taking Kinston Flemmings out of Houston to fill that role. However, keeping McCollum around as a mentor and for the scoring punch for a season makes a lot of sense.
This signing also means the Hawks will operate as an over-the-cap team this offseason. Atlanta now faces its next financial question: Whether to pick up its $24.3 million option on Jonathan Kuminga.
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