According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Washington Wizards are likely to make a move concerning Trae Young that a lot of fans probably saw coming: Signing him to an extension, and sitting him for the majority of the rest of this season in order to keep their top-eight protected draft pick.
Stein writes: "There are already rumbles about Young ultimately securing a two-year extension from the Wizards ... no matter how much or how little he plays for the rest of the season with Washington desperate to hold onto a first-round pick that is only top-eight protected. Atlanta's well-known reluctance to extend Young's contract in the summer was the first domino that led to this week's Trae-to-DC trade materializing before his eighth season as a Hawk had even reached the halfway point."
This was always going to be a sensible path for the Wizards to walk concerning Young. You don't want to risk losing him for nothing, so incurring the cost of an extension is a necessary evil. Then, holding him out while you determine more long-term steps makes sense as well. Young could very well be this team's starting point guard of the future, or he could be flipped again further down the line if Washington wishes to go in that direction.
What makes this approach easier to justify is where Washington is as a franchise. This team was never one Trae Young away from contention, and pretending otherwise would have been irresponsible. The Wizards are still very much in asset-accumulation mode, and protecting that top-eight pick matters far more than squeezing out a few extra wins in another lost season.
The Wizards will likely extend and sit Trae Young
Sitting Young has nothing to do with his talent, clearly. By extending him now, Washington removes uncertainty and keeps its options open. Trae can spend the second half of the year learning the organization and easing into a situation that was never going to be about immediate results anyway.
There’s also a bigger-picture element here that shouldn’t be ignored. If Young looks healthy and productive next season, that contract becomes more of an asset than a burden. Washington can evaluate whether he fits alongside their young core or whether another team becomes desperate enough to pay real value for a proven offensive engine.
This front office has quietly done a solid job of reframing leverage where it didn’t exist before. They turned cap space into Trae Young without sacrificing picks, and now they’re positioning themselves to keep flexibility rather than rushing into a half-baked timeline.
For a franchise that’s spent years stuck in the middle, this feels like a welcome moment of patience and clarity. The Wizards aren’t pretending they’re closer than they are, and maintaining a bigger-picture vision here is exactly what was needed.