Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum addressed his impending free agency following a strong stretch since joining the team in the Trae Young trade.
“I like it here, man. I’m here for a reason. We’ll see. But right now, it’s about playing winning basketball and building on what we’ve done and stack wins and stack winning habits,” he said in a conversation with NBA insider Marc Stein on The Stein Line.
McCollum, 34, acknowledged that his future is not fully in his control. “That’s not up to me, my friend,” he responded when asked about re-signing with the Hawks. He also noted the uncertainty surrounding options this offseason. “You know as well as I do that there’s a lot that can change between now and June 30. Another team needs a scoring guard, offers the same amount …”
The veteran guard has averaged 18.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 26 games for Atlanta this season. McCollum has shot 44.1% from the field and 33.1% from three-point range while providing stability alongside younger players like Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson.
Since the January 9 trade that sent him and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in exchange for Trae Young, McCollum has become a key contributor to the Hawks’ offense. Marc Stein noted that his $30.7 million expiring contract played a central role in the trade, but his performance has exceeded expectations, particularly given his previous experience playing with Daniels in New Orleans.
Atlanta, currently 36-31 and holding the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, has relied on McCollum’s scoring and veteran leadership to complement Jalen Johnson’s 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 20 points per contest.
