According to several reports, the Wizards are the team most aggressively pursuing Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young, and the interest appears to be mutual, at least from Young’s perspective.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Washington is Young’s preferred destination.
Trae Young has the Washington Wizards as his top preferred trade destination, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta is working to move Young, who has a $49 million player option in offseason that would make him an expiring contract; or opt out, leave and give Hawks significant cap space. https://t.co/LUm2hJCj1z
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2026
This makes a ton of sense when you consider that Travis Schlenk, who drafted Trae Young when he was the general manager of the Hawks, is now the VP of player personnel in Washington.
The belief is that CJ McCollum would be included from the Wizards’ side to make the money work, giving the Hawks an expiring contract and ultimate financial flexibility at season’s end. Interestingly enough, both Young and McCollum are out tonight with “injuries” as the two sides continue working toward a deal.
Nothing can be assumed until it’s official, but all signs point to real traction between the two teams. It’s possible we may have already seen Young’s final game in a Hawks uniform, which, no matter how you slice it, is a sad day for Atlanta basketball fans.
Young has been the face of the franchise for the last half decade. He’s the best player to represent Atlanta since Dominique Wilkins. Young led the Hawks to within two wins of the NBA Finals, and if not for his injury during that run, we might be having a very different conversation about his legacy today.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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