Hawks Notes: McCollum, Kuminga, Midseason Trades, Alexander-Walker

Hawks general manager Onsi Salah was a long-time admirer of CJ McCollum and was happy to acquire him in the January deal that sent Trae Young to Washington, but Salah admits to Howard Beck of The Ringer that he had no idea McCollum would emerge as a playoff force. The veteran guard is the main reason that Atlanta holds a 2-1 lead over New York, averaging 27 PPG in the series and hitting a game-winning jumper late in Game 3.

“I’m not surprised with his confidence and his ability to do what he’s doing,” Saleh said. “I just didn’t expect the efficiency — like, everything has been so good, and he’s just taken over the series, and in such a dramatic way. It eases the pressure on some of our guys. It helps us understand how to win playoff games, which is a skill. He understands tempo and pace and mismatches and who to go at, who not to go at, clock situations, all that stuff he’s been phenomenal with.”

Beck notes that it didn’t feel like a major trade when it happened, as the Hawks were trying to find a new home for Young so they could retool around their young core. Young’s salary and injury status limited the interest around the league, so getting McCollum and Corey Kispert in return seemed like a deal of convenience.

But McCollum sparked a second half surge as Atlanta went 27-15 after the trade and posted the seventh-best point differential in the league. The new starting lineup of McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu had the NBA’s second-highest net rating at 21.4 (minimum of 600 possessions).

“It was funny when the narratives came out at the time,” Saleh said. “Because people just thought we’re just salary dumping, which wasn’t the case at all. We wanted CJ. We wanted Corey. These are two guys that fit. … It’s worked out even better than I would have expected.”

There’s more from Atlanta:

• McCollum believes Jonathan Kuminga has benefitted from the February trade that sent him from Golden State to Atlanta, per Nick Avila of NBC Sports Bay Area. Kuminga’s statistics with the two teams were similar during the regular season, but his playing time has increased to 31 minutes per night since the playoffs began. “He was in a not so great situation and now he’s found a happy home over here,” McCollum said after Game 3.
• The Hawks were expecting Young and Kristaps Porzingis to lift them out of play-in territory when they acquired the big man from Boston last summer, but the season didn’t turn around until they were both traded away, notes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Young and Porzingis only played three games and 51 total minutes together in Atlanta, but their replacements have made the Hawks a dangerous playoff opponent.
• In a session with reporters prior to Saturday’s Game 4, coach Quinn Snyder said Alexander-Walker is a deserving winner of Most Improved Player honors, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. “He’s just thrown himself in consistently to the work,” Snyder said. “… We’re lucky to have him.”