Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are headed for a divorce. The two sides are working together to find a deal ahead of Feb.’s NBA trade deadline, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. Young has spent his entire career in Atlanta since being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He holds a $48.9 million player option for next season, and would be a free agent if he turns it down or after 2026-27.
Young missed a 22-game stretch with a sprained MCL earlier this season, and the Hawks seemed to have a better formula without him. The Hawks are 15-12 without Young in the lineup, and not surprisingly they looked much better defensively when he was out. Young is still one of the most talented offensive creators in the sport, and he could have big value to a team looking for a lead engine who can blend scoring and playmaking. There’s a clear frontrunner to land Young right now, and it might come as a surprise if you haven’t been closely following the rumors.
The Washington Wizards are “legitimate potential trade destination” for Young, according to long-time inside Marc Stein. The Wizards own the fourth worst record in the NBA right now, and they are slated to have tons of cap space this summer. Washington is still hoping to hit the lottery ahead of a loaded 2026 NBA Draft, but they must feel like Young could work well with any of the top-three prospects in Duke forward Cameron Boozer, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, and BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa.
The Wizards have been losing this season, but they have seen some nice development out of their young core. Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, has taken a huge leap forward as a scorer and still projects as a high-level defender long-term. Second-year wing Kyshawn George has taken on more playmaking duties this year, and third-year wing Bilal Coulibaly has looked better in recent weeks since returning from injury. Add in rookie shooter Tre Johnson, who Washington selected at No. 5 overall in the 2025 draft, and you can see why the Wizards might be interested in Young.
Young is a super talented on-ball creator and one of the NBA’s best passers. The Wizards’ young core is mostly made out of play-finishers. Young is a play creator who can help accelerate the development of players like Sarr and Johnson by setting them up for easy buckets while still having plenty of scoring gravity on his own. The fact that Washington has mostly drafted long and mobile players who project well defensively long-term is also a good fit to cover up Young’s defensive limitations.
The framework for a deal between the Hawks and Wizards would start with C.J. McCollum’s expiring salary going to Atlanta. I threw in two young players in third-year wing Cam Whitmore and rookie wing Will Riley going to Washington. Add in a draft pick at your own accord.
Who else could be interested in Trae Young? Here are five more suitors:
Miami Heat: The Heat are always hunting for stars, and Young definitely still counts as one. This deal would allow Miami to keep all their picks plus blossoming second-year big man Kel’el Ware.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves’ search for a point guard next to Anthony Edwards has been an ongoing storyline for years, but sadly it doesn’t seem like their bold trade up for Rob Dillingham is going to pay off. Young would fully free up Edwards to play off the board, and Minnesota has the defensive might to cover up his deficiencies there. It’s hard to make the salaries match, so it might need to be a multi-team trade.
Brooklyn Nets: Michael Porter Jr. is playing out of his mind for a bad Nets team. If Brooklyn doesn’t like the potential draft compensation out there on the trade market, would they swing for a star like Young? It would at least bring more excitement in the building. This deal could work for both sides if the Hawks like what they’re seeing out of MPJ.
Houston Rockets: The Rockets have so much size and physicality that it feels like they’re the best possible team to cover up Young’s playmaking warts. Houston’s halfcourt offense is still heavily reliant on offensive rebounding, and adding Young would give them a great passer to potentially set up some easier buckets. A deal built around the injured Fred VanVleet for Young is a decent starting point.
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were absolutely horrible before their recent winning streak. While I’m in favor of LA trading Kawhi Leonard now, maybe they would make a bold move to add a younger star in Young. Here’s a crazy one for you that will probably never happen:
The best bet here is the Wizards. Expect a trade that Trae Young to D.C. in the coming weeks (or maybe even days) without much draft compensation going back to Atlanta.
