 On September 27, 1990 McCormick was traded by the Houston Rockets with John Lucas and a 1994 1st round draft pick (Charlie Ward was later selected) to the Atlanta Hawks for Roy Marble and Kenny Smith.McCormick played better in the 1990-1991 season compared to his previous season, however at just 28 years old he failed to return to his best level of play that was seen a few years prior.He still played a good part on the team and helped the Hawks reach the 1991 playoffs with a 43-39 record, however once again he couldn't make it past the first round as the Hawks were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in 5 games.