Wizards Emerge as Leading Option if Hawks Decide to Trade Trae Young
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The Atlanta Hawks are weighing trade scenarios for All-Star guard Trae Young, and league sources point to the Washington Wizards as the club that currently meets Atlanta’s top requirements, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported.
The clock is running toward Feb. 5, the informal date by which the Hawks hope to clarify Young’s future, according to the report. Atlanta’s front office is focused on three objectives: cutting future payroll, landing a serviceable point guard who can play immediately, and collecting additional draft picks.
A framework that would send CJ McCollum, Malaki Branham, AJ Johnson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta satisfies each of those priorities, Marks noted. Moving Young’s $49 million salary for the 2026-27 season would give the Hawks meaningful cap room, while McCollum’s experience—he has started nearly 90 percent of his NBA games—would stabilize the backcourt during any roster reset.
The report adds that Atlanta might need to attach one of its own future first-rounders to persuade Washington to take on Young’s contract starting next season. Even with that possible sweetener, the proposed package is considered stronger than any other offer presently circulating.
Washington’s interest is rooted in leveraging its cap flexibility now rather than waiting for free agency. The Wizards intend to keep their 2024 first-round pick, which conveys to New York if it falls outside the top eight, yet the front office also wants a path back to the Eastern Conference play-in round.
With the trade deadline approaching, executives around the league increasingly expect Young to be a central figure in negotiations, and the Wizards appear to align most closely with the Hawks’ checklist.
Source: Hoops Wire
