Jason Burgos
Ahead of a do-or-die Game 6 tonight, a major update has emerged on the futures of Atlanta Hawks leader CJ McCollum and head coach Quin Snyder.
On Thursday night, the Hawks must score a win over the New York Knicks or see their season come to an end in the opening round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. While that would be a disappointing end, this was a very productive season for Atlanta that also created expectations for bigger seasons ahead.
The 2025-26 season will be remembered as the year the Hawks underwent a major facelift. After several seasons with Trae Young as the face of the franchise, they traded the four-time All-Star and pivoted to the Jalen Johnson era. Following the All-Star break and the trade deadline, the Hawks went 20-6, and Johnson played a major role in their strong finish. However, another player was equally important.
In the January trade for Young, the Hawks acquired CJ McCollum. While he was originally viewed as an addition to make the money side of the deal work, the 13-year veteran has emerged as a valuable leader of a mostly young team. However, he is in the final year of his contract.
Will the Hawks bring him back or let the player, a few months away from his 35th birthday, walk in free agency? It will be the latter. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, “Atlanta’s plan is to bring back McCollum” on a new multi-year deal this summer.
Will the Atlanta Hawks let Quinn Snyder be a lame-duck in 2026-27?
Plans to bring McCollum back will bring Hawks fans relief because of the role he played in helping them win the most games (46) in a decade. However, as important as McCollum and Johnson were in 2025-26, head coach Quin Snyder had his best season yet overseeing the roster.
But the 59-year-old has just one year left on his deal. While the Hawks were much improved this season, it was the first winning record Snyder posted since taking over as head coach during the 2022-23 season. It would not be irrational if Atlanta wanted to see continued growth early next season before locking Snyder into an extension.
But according to Fischer, the Hawks don’t plan to let Snyder enter next season as a lame duck coach. “Extension talks are mostly certainly expected soon after this season, whether or not Atlanta can keep it going Thursday night,” he reports. “The Hawks were one of this season’s true surprise teams, and league sources say there is strong front office support for Snyder to receive a new deal.”
