CJ McCollum’s immediate reaction to Hawks’ Trae Young trade

The Atlanta Hawks agreed to an eye-opening trade on Wednesday night. They are sending former All-Star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Not long after the news of the trade surfaced, NBA Insider Chris Haynes was able to garner McCollum’s initial reaction.

“Loved my time in DC. Organization was great to my family and I,” McCollum said.

“Michael Winger and Will [Dawkins] did everything they said they would and kept their word from the very beginning. Love the city, and they’re doing things the right way over there. Excited to get to The A and get to work. Very familiar with their style of play. Love the ownership group and front office. Good group of players.”

McCollum said all the right things about his new destination. But there is a very good chance that Atlanta, being his home, will be short-lived. The trade for Atlanta was a massive salary dump.

Young was due to make $46 million this year, with a $49 million player option for next season. With Atlanta suddenly flush with some cap space, they are expected to be aggressive at the NBA Trade Deadline. Many pundits have pointed to the Anthony Davis sweepstakes as a prize the Hawks might dive into. In order to pull that off, they might need to move McCollum yet again.

Nevertheless, CJ was all class, both with his former and current team.

He is a 13-year veteran who spent the majority of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged more than 20 points per game for the last 10 straight seasons. This year, though, that has dipped to 18.6, while posting near career-lows in rebounds and assists.

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