Washington, D.C. — Newly acquired guard Trae Young will remain out of the Washington Wizards lineup until after the NBA All-Star break, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 25-year-old is still rehabbing a sprained right MCL and a right quad contusion. The club will not reevaluate him until the mid-February break, a timetable that rules him out for at least the next 15 games.
Young initially injured his right MCL in late October, sidelining him for 22 consecutive games. After returning in mid-December, he played in five of the Atlanta Hawks’ following six contests before a quad contusion forced him to miss Atlanta’s final six games prior to last week’s trade to Washington.
The Wizards had already planned to manage Young’s workload carefully in the season’s second half. The organization is also intent on protecting its top-eight-protected 2026 first-round pick while prioritizing Young’s long-term impact beginning with the 2026-27 campaign.
Under the NBA’s player participation policy, Young is classified as a star, limiting a team’s ability to sideline a healthy star for extended periods. Although there is no current indication of league intervention, the Wizards’ handling of Young’s availability is expected to remain under observation as the season continues.
Source: Hoops Wire
