Trae Young
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Trae Young has not played for the Washington Wizards since he got traded by the Atlanta Hawks.
The Washington Wizards shared an update on Trae Young‘s injury recovery amid his delayed debut for the franchise. The Wizards acquired Young from the Atlanta Hawks on January 9 despite the possibility of him entering free agency this offseason.
After nearly eight full seasons with Atlanta, Young was traded to Washington in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. It wasn’t surprising that the Hawks traded their franchise star, but it was shocking that they didn’t get any picks from the Wizards.
Young has a player option for next season, but he could opt out and become a free agent. However, the Wizards would not have made the trade if they weren’t going to sign the four-time All-Star to an extension.
In addition to his contract status, Young was limited to just 10 games this season after suffering a sprained knee early in the campaign. The Hawks went to win games in his absence, which made the decision easier to make.
Wizards GM Confirms Young’s Return Timeline
There were multiple reports after the trade that Trae Young wouldn’t be rushed to make his debut for the Washington Wizards. Coach Brian Keefe told reporters via NBA.com last week that Young might be out until after the All-Star break, as he recovers from knee and leg injuries.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins confirmed to EssentiallySports’ Mark Medina that Young is set to be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. Fans will have to wait for at least a month before they can see the 27-year-old guard in a Wizards uniform on the court.
“Yeah, I think right now we did some evaluation and tests. And it’s going to take him a few weeks to get him where he needs to be. So we decided to push it until the All-Star break. And then we’ll reevaluate him at that point,” Dawkins said.
The Wizards GM added that the plan for Young is to see how he’ll work with the Wizards’ young core. If the franchise won’t make another trade before the Feb. 5 deadline, they will have one of the best crops of young players in the NBA.
Their current core consists of 10 players who are 22 years old or younger, such as Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Cam Whitmore.
Young Could Get 3-Year Extension
Trae Young has a player option worth $49 million for next season. But despite not playing a single minute for the Washington Wizards, the franchise could follow the path made by the Toronto Raptors with Brandon Ingram last season.
According to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal, the Wizards could offer Young a three-year, $120 million extension. That was the same deal Ingram received from the Raptors last season after he was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans.
Ingram didn’t play a single minute for the Raptors until making his debut for the franchise at the start of this season. It has paid dividends for Toronto, since they are currently sitting fourth in the East standings at 25-19.