Atlanta Hawks Major Trade Acquisition Has Been Very Underwhelming So Far

CJ McCollum came over from the Wizards in the Trae Young trade, but his play has been subpar through the first week plus

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When the Atlanta Hawks made the trade to send Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, there was hope that McCollum would be able to fit in with the offense and give the Hawks plenty of scoring ability while also giving them another ball handler. Nobody thought he was going to be as good as Young on that end of the floor, but the hope was that he would give them a lift and help make them playoff contenders.

It is still early, but the CJ McCollum experience has not been great for the Hawks.

The counting stats don't paint a terrible picture for the five games that McCollum has played. He is averaging 17.0 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.8 RPG while shooting 40% from the field and 18% from three. While the three-point percentage is certainly worrisome, McCollum was having a great three-point shooting season in Washington, and you would assume he would bounce back. Both of those shooting percentages would be career worsts if applied to over a full season.

But when you watch how McCollum fits with the team, it has not been smooth.

Why is it not working right now?

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) is blocked by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There is still time to figure things out and midseason acquisitions are tough to fit in, but why has McCollum not been able to work.

I think his usage rate is concerning to me. When the Hawks traded Young, they already had a guy who could play with the ball in his hands, Jalen Johnson. Johnson is having an All-Star caliber season and is 6th in the NBA in assists per game. McCollum has come in and led the Hawks in usage rate, which I don't think is going to be a successful formula for the Hawks.

Per Cleaning the Glass, McCollum has a 31.7% usage rate over the last five games, has a 21.7% AST% (23rd percentile) and 0.69 AST: Usg (2nd percentile). The Hawks offense has not been as effective when McCollum has such a high usage rate and that was evidenced by the final possession in yesterday's game vs Milwaukee.

You can tell CJ McCollum was not passing this ball and going to shoot the ball no matter what happen smh pic.twitter.com/wWHU4UvbBv

— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) January 19, 2026

It is just five games, but Quin Snyder has got to find a way to better implement McCollum so his skills on the offensive end can actually benefit the Hawks. Now, the Hawks are playing without Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis, but it is more about the style of play than anything. I think the three point shot should reverse course and improve, but if the Hawks can't figure out how to better use him on this team, they may slip out of the play-in tournament all together.