Hawks’ CJ McCollum gets $43 million contract update that would be a steep discount originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Atlanta Hawks and CJ McCollum could agree to a big extension before June 30.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote in a new article on Friday that McCollum could receive a three-year extension for $115.9 million.
Marks, though, doesn’t think McCollum should or will get that, which is good news for the Hawks’ hopes of keeping the veteran guard around.
The ESPN analyst instead writes that McCollum should get a two-year contract worth a total value of $43 million.
“The $20.7 million salary in the first year would allow Atlanta to use most of its $15 million non-tax midlevel exception and still remain below the salary cap,” Marks adds.
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McCollum was mostly positive after the Hawks acquired him, only taking a step back late in the Knicks playoff series as the whole Atlanta team fell off a cliff.
“The 34-year-old averaged 16.7 points in 41 games with Atlanta and was plus-11.5 points per possessions,” Marks writes. “In the first round, McCollum scored the second-most points through three games in Hawks playoff history. But in the last three games of Atlanta’s six-game defeat, McCollum averaged 11.3 points while shooting 1-of-8 from 3.”
As Marks notes, McCollum isn’t young anymore. He still is a smart player with great shooting ability who can positively impact winning.
If his cost is indeed around $20 million per year, that’s quite reasonable for one of the best guards available in this free agent class.
Another team could foil Atlanta’s plans by offering McCollum a lot more, but at this stage, Marks only lists the Hawks as a “best fit” for McCollum, which suggests the ESPN front office insider expects McCollum to stay put.