ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are seemingly ready to turn the page.
Young, 27, has the Washington Wizards as his preferred destination as he and the Hawks work on a possible trade, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
RELATED:Hawks, Trae Young working on possible trade, reports say
According to multiple reports, Atlanta is working to trade Young, who has a $49 million player option this offseason. Charania said the Hawks are ready to move on from Young with the emergence of forward Jalen Johnson, who, at 24, is averaging 23.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 34 games this season.
Leg injuries have limited Young to just 10 games this season. Over those 10 games, Atlanta is 2-8 with Young and 15-12 without him.
Young has been the face of the Hawks since he was drafted in 2018, leading Atlanta to the postseason three times in eight years, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. He is the team’s franchise leader in 3s (1,295) and assists (4,837).
What a trade could look like
ESPN released several mock trades, with one having the Hawks sending Young and a 2031 second-round pick (via better of Hawks and Rockets) to the Wizards in exchange for Malaki Branham, A.J. Johnson, C.J. McCollum and a 2026 first-round pick (via worst of Clippers, Rockets and Thunder).
NBA insiders noted that the Hawks would “probably require” a three-for-one swap when dealing with the Wizards, especially with Young’s $46 million salary and $49 million option.
“taking Young’s salary off the Hawks’ books would give them massive flexibility for 2026-27 and beyond, while McCollum would fill the team’s most important need the rest of this season -- playmaking when neither Young nor Jalen Johnson is on the court. For the Wizards, this is a low-cost bet on a talented player who should be in his prime,” Kevin Pelton wrote.
Another mock-up had a three-team trade including the Hawks, Wizards and Sacramento Kings, where Atlanta would get Malaki Branham, Devin Carter, A.J. Johnson, Malik Monk, Dario Saric and a 2026 first-round pick (via worst of Clippers, Rockets and Thunder), the Wizards would get Young and a 2026 second-round pick (via Hornets, top-55 protected), while the Kings would get C.J. McCollum.
However, Sam Amick of The Athletic disputed that claim, saying, “Sacramento has no interest in a Trae Young deal,”.
There are endless trade possibilities and scenarios, but with the Feb. 5 trade deadline just a little over four weeks away, it seems more likely each day that both sides will get the deal done one way or another.
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