Jan. 7, 2026 marked the end of a tenure in Atlanta with a trade that will be remembered forever in the history of the Hawks. Franchise superstar Trae Young was traded to the Washington Wizards; in return, the Hawks received CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
The trade ends what was a special era in the history of the Hawks, but as one door closes, another one opens for the franchise.
What McCollum and Kispert Bring to the Hawks
The main return for the Hawks in this trade was the acquisition of veteran guard CJ McCollum. McCollum has been one of the more consistent scorers since entering the league and will fill a major need.
The Hawks were in desperate need of another ball-handler off the bench that could generate offense — McCollum rapidly addresses that need. He’s averaging around 19 points per game with three assists on the year.
Earlier this season McCollum dropped 46 points with 10 three-pointers on the Hawks during an NBA cup game.
McCollum will be providing major offensive firepower to the Hawks bench that already has the likes of Kristaps Porzingis. He is on an expiring contract so the Hawks are going to free up around $30 million from the salary cap heading into free agency.
Corey Kispert is the interesting piece in the deal. Through the Gonzaga product, the Hawks add elite shooting add length at the wing position.
Unlike McCollum, Kispert is going to have to fight to get into the rotation consistently with the likes of Vit Krejci who is already in the rotation and are playing at a high level. The Hawks wouldn’t have asked for Kispert if they didn’t have a role in mind for him, so he will likely get a chance to prove his worth over the rest of the season.
Direction Going Forward
The Hawks made a statement about what General Manager Onsi Saleh envisions the future looking like for the franchise. Atlanta simply wants to become better defensively going forward and moving on from Young is the start to that process.
While they acquired two players who are known for their abilities on the offensive end, their defensive impact will be drastically better compared to Young’s; the Hawks’ points per 100 possessions jumped up to 126.2 with Young in the lineup, which made them the worst defense in the league by far.
The other statement made by this trade is that the Hawks believe that Jalen Johnson is the cornerstone of the franchise moving forward. Johnson has emerged as an All-Star caliber player this season, averaging 24 points per game with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Johnson has thrived being the guy for the Hawks this season and has shown he has the ability to be the guy going forward.
Atlanta has surrounded Johnson with guys who play good defense with the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels. Along with the movement to play better defense, the core of the roster moving forward is constructed with younger players, such as Onyeka Okongwu, Asa Newell, and Mouhamed Gueye, who are all going to be part of the future.
The Hawks also possess a highly favorable first-round pick that will add another prospect to their young core. Finding a star and veterans who will be around for the long run to help develop Johnson and Co. will be the challenge going forward.
More Changes Could Be Immediate
It is not a secret that the Hawks have been actively looking to further improve the roster. The main player that has come up in trade rumors is Anthony Davis. The Mavericks are expected to be actively looking to rebuild, and the main guy they would want to be moved is Davis.
Davis would fix many holes that the Hawks currently have on defense by being the dominant big man that they’ve missed this year. Okongwu has had a career season so far, but teams have been going after him in the pick-and-roll with larger bigs to have success. Davis would immediately change this. He’s one of the best interior defenders in the league when healthy, and this goes without mentioning the elite offense he brings to the table.
Currently, the Hawks’ best package would include the expiring contracts of Luke Kennard and Porzingis along with draft capital for Davis. Importantly, the Hawks would not trade the upcoming 2026 first-round draft pick swap that is the best of the Bucks and Pelicans.
A potential key figure in this trade would be assessing how the Hawks feel about Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher has had an underwhelming beginning to his sophomore campaign so far, but has flashed the potential to be a solid piece.
Health will always be at the forefront of any discussion regarding Davis, but if a team can get him healthy before the playoffs, he would be a big part of a deep postseason run.
Davis’ market will be relatively unknown, as figuring out what exactly the Mavericks are looking for in a trade will take time.
Thank You, Trae Young
Hawks fans will always love Trae Young remember him as one of the best players to ever play for the Hawks, but a new era rises in Atlanta.
The Hawks are looking to push the chips all in and build around the young core and identities that they have now firmly established.
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