The Trade Young era has begun.
A league source confirmed that the Atlanta Hawks are working with four-time All-Star Trae Young and his agents to find a trade destination.
The development, first reported by ESPN, is as clear a sign as ever that the Hawks are ready to move on from the 27-year-old. And the choice, quite clearly, has everything to do with what has transpired over the course of the past few weeks.
After Young sprained his right MCL in late October, the Hawks — who entered this season surrounded by hype because of much-celebrated offseason roster upgrades — went 13-9 without their former franchise centerpiece in the lineup. Rising star Jalen Johnson, 24, played the best basketball of his young NBA life. The defense improved significantly. They looked, on most nights, like a team that could keep growing into an Eastern Conference contender, especially given the parity on that side of the league’s ledger this season.
But when Young came back in mid-December, Atlanta — which was also without big man Kristaps Porziņģis because of his ongoing illness, went 0-5. As The Athletic reported last week, the Hawks’ willingness to discuss trading Young has been on the rise for weeks now — months, really.
Young was already slated to miss Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, though he did individual pregame work. Hawks coach Quin Snyder declined to comment when asked about Young’s future before the game.
The Hawks’ choice not to give Young a long-term contract extension this summer opened the door for all of this chatter, as he can opt out and skip town for nothing as a free agent this summer (he earns $45.9 million this season and has a player option worth $48.9 million for next season). Young is known to be seeking a new contract at a level commensurate with a star player, which has become problematic for the Hawks’ plans. Yet, in the absence of clarity regarding legitimate trade suitors for Young, and with league sources indicating that his market was widely considered minimal, it remained entirely possible the Hawks will have to resolve his future in the summertime.
Longtime NBA writer Marc Stein reported on Monday that the Washington Wizards are considered a possible suitor, with Wizards guard CJ McCollum (who is earning $30.6 million on an expiring contract) believed to be the most likely player coming the Hawks’ way in a possible deal. The Wizards, or perhaps a third team, would need to send more salary the Hawks’ way in that sort of deal to make the trade legal.
If the Hawks find a new home for Young, it could significantly change the next steps with their roster. They have interest in Dallas’ Anthony Davis, for example, but were not considered a realistic suitor, in large part because of the prospect of having to absorb salary ($54.1 million this season, $58.4 million next season and a player option worth $62.7 million in the 2027-28 campaign).
If ever there was a sign of Young’s diminished value, it’s in the fact that even teams that are desperate need of an offensive boost — like the Sacramento Kings — don’t appear to have interest. Sacramento has long been rumored as a possible suitor for Young, with the prospect of the Hawks landing former All-Star Zach LaVine in the process known to be of interest to the 30-year-old Kings guard. But a team source indicated on Monday that Sacramento has no interest in Young. That has been the Kings’ stance for quite some time now, and it remains unchanged.
Source says Sacramento has no interest in a Trae Young deal, fwiw. That has been the Kings’ stance for quite some time now – even with rumblings about a Young-for-Zach LaVine swap – and I’m told it remains unchanged. https://t.co/pf1gqYMmf0
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 6, 2026
How the Wizards might fit in
The Wizards hold two significant contracts that will expire at the end of the 2025-26 season: McCollum’s and Khris Middleton’s, which is worth $33.3 million and expires after this season. With those deals coming off the books, Washington could have approximately $80 million in cap space this summer, assuming the team makes no moves before the offseason.
Washington would have the room to comfortably absorb Young’s $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
The Wizards’ front office, headed by Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, favors players with positional size. At 6-foot-2, Young does not fit into that archetype. His deficiencies at the point of attack would make him a dubious defensive fit on a Wizards team that entered Monday 29th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions. The Wizards’ biggest defensive flaw has been their porous perimeter defense.
But Winger and Dawkins have also prioritized accumulating future draft picks and high-upside young players during their 2 1/2-year tenure. It’s reasonable to believe that Washington might take on money for the upcoming season, or upcoming seasons, if an incoming contract has draft capital or a high-level young player attached to it.
Eric Koreen contributed to this story.
