The Eastern Conference runs through the New York Knicks until proven otherwise. The Boston Celtics will get their fair shot at dethroning the NBA Champions, but they won't be alone. The Atlanta Hawks will be right there with them. Re-signing CJ McCollum doesn't put them over the top, but it makes them all the more legitimate of a threat.
After ESPN's Shams Charania reported McCollum's one-year deal to stay in Atlanta, he added how much better the team got after they added him.
The Hawks went 19-4 with McCollum as a starter from Feb. 22 through end of the regular season -- closing the 11th straight year that the veteran guard has made 150 3s, tied for the 4th-most such campaigns in NBA history, per ESPN Research. McCollum is now signed through next… https://t.co/pHwgq3s2Ys
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2026
This is a bigger deal than most think because mid-season additions typically don't make that kind of impact with how much they have to learn on the fly. Lest we forget, Derrick White needed a minute before he found his footing with the Celtics.
So with McCollum, someone who was floated as a dream target for Boston this summer, the fact that he fit in like a glove as quickly as he did in Atlanta speaks volumes for how scary they could be with him over the course of a full season.
Boston should be better next season - especially if they win the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes - but the Hawks keeping McCollum demonstrates that they have more than the Knicks to worry about on their next playoff run.
And remember, McCollum and the Hawks were the only team that really made the Knicks sweat over the course of a playoff series. To think it actually could have been a lot scarier for the Knicks if the Hawks' inexperience and frontcourt depth hadn't gotten in the way shows that they are not a team to be trifled with.
Who's to say the Hawks are done?
It's fairly likely this is just the first domino for Atlanta. They have the No. 8 pick in a loaded draft class with a pressing need for a big man. They also have the expendable contracts and assets to get another game-changer this summer if that's what they want.
Losing in the first round bites, but again, the returns they got on McCollum after they acquired him in the deal for Trae Young should make them feel quite encouraged for what lies ahead as long as they play their cards right. There's no reason for them not to strike while the iron is hot.
If and when they do, the Celtics must take note. Boston is dealing with their own issues at the moment. While the Hawks have every reason to think their season was a moral victory in the end, the Celtics have every reason to think their season was a moral failure.
To avoid catastrophe again, they must be prepared for anything, and that anything includes the surging Hawks.
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