Trae Young has been living in trade rumors since the offseason, and it’s not hard to see why. He didn’t sign an extension with the Atlanta Hawks, and the second that happened, the league started looking at him like the next star who could actually get moved instead of just being “monitored.”
Now it’s gone a step further. On Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Young and his agents met with the Hawks and started working through a potential trade process, including talking about possible destinations and what a clean exit could look like if both sides choose that route.
That’s where the Washington Wizards jumped from “random mention” to “real option.” Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line that the Wizards have emerged as a legitimate suitor and potential landing spot, and he even laid out the basic money logic: a realistic framework could revolve around CJ McCollum’s expiring contract.
And the Wizards have Travis Schlenk as their Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, who is not just some random executive. He was the Hawks’ general manager when the franchise made the Trae Young draft-night move in 2018, and he helped build the early Hawks era around Trae from the jump.
So yeah, if the Wizards want a franchise point guard who changes the direction of the team overnight, there’s a realistic middle ground here.
Let’s build the cleanest mock trade that actually makes sense for both sides.
The Trade Proposal
Washington Wizards Receive: Trae Young
Atlanta Hawks Receive: CJ McCollum, Cam Whitmore, AJ Johnson, 2028 first-round pick (via MIL or POR), 2027 second-round pick
This is basically the cleanest version of “expiring money plus young bites.” McCollum is sitting at $30.6 million and lines up as the main salary piece, while Cam Whitmore and AJ Johnson give the Hawks two swings at athletic upside, plus you toss in two future picks as the grease.
Contract-wise, Trae is expensive now, and that’s the entire point. He’s at $45.9 million this season and has a $49 million player option for 2026-27, which is exactly why the Hawks have to think about either fully recommitting or getting out before it turns into a weird limbo year.
Why It Makes Sense For The Wizards
First, the Wizards’ offense needs an adult at the wheel. They’re scoring 113.4 points per game, shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.2% from three, and they’re turning it over 15.5 times per night. That’s not hopeless, but it screams “we don’t have a steady shot creator who bends the defense every single possession.”
That’s literally Trae’s whole job. Even in a down year, he’s still at 8.9 assists, and his true shooting sits at 57.7%, which matters because it tells you the efficiency isn’t falling off a cliff even with the ugly three-point number. Put him in a situation where he can spam high-ball screens, force help, and turn every weak-side rotation into a corner three or a dunk, and the Wizards instantly get structure. No more “nice effort, still lose by 18.”
Also, the Wizards’ defense is already taking hits every night anyway. They’re allowing 124.3 points per game, which is basically begging for a new identity. If you’re already bleeding, you might as well go get the guy who can score with anybody and at least make your games stressful for opponents.
And the Schlenk angle is not a throwaway. Front offices don’t make franchise-altering bets without someone inside pushing hard for the player. Schlenk drafted Trae, lived the highs, saw what he looks like when he’s fully rolling, and now he’s in the Wizards room. That connection is a real reason this rumor has legs beyond pure cap math.
Why It Makes Sense For The Hawks
This is the “rip the band-aid off” argument.
The Hawks are sitting at 17-21, and they’ve actually been better in the games Trae hasn’t played this season (15-13), which is wild but also kind of telling about where the franchise is mentally. Whether you think that’s small-sample noise or a real stylistic thing, the front office can look at it and say, “We can pivot.”
CJ McCollum is the obvious part. He’s an expiring-ish bridge piece who can still get buckets (18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 44.9% from the field, 39.2% from three). He either helps you stay functional offensively this season, or you flip him later to keep stacking assets.
The real juice is Whitmore and Johnson. Whitmore gives you a young wing swing with real physical tools, and Johnson is another developmental guard flier. That’s the kind of return you chase if you’re trying to reset the timeline without bottoming out into total misery.
And yeah, the Hawks also get what they really want: options. They stop having to answer the Trae extension question every week. They stop living in the “are we good or not?” middle. They turn one massive decision into multiple smaller ones.
The Risk
For the Wizards, the risk is obvious. Trae is expensive, he’s not saving your defense, and if you don’t build the roster right, you end up paying superstar money for a great offense that still can’t guard anybody. That’s the nightmare.
For the Hawks, the risk is that you trade away a guy who can still be a top-tier offensive engine when healthy, and you spend the next three years trying to replace something you already had. That’s the classic small-market trauma story, except the Hawks aren’t small-market, they just keep acting like it.
There’s also the “pick stuff” risk, which brings us to the Stein part.
Marc Stein later reported the idea that the Hawks could be willing to send draft capital along with Trae, basically burning a first-round pick to move the contract.
I’m going to be real: I doubt the “Hawks attach a first-round pick” version actually happens.
It’s not impossible, but it’s unrealistic because Trae is still Trae. Even in a weird year, he’s a 25-and-10 career guy, and someone will convince themselves they can rebuild the defense around him. If the Hawks attach a first, it means the league is treating him like pure salary dump, and I don’t buy that unless the market gets completely frozen and the Hawks get desperate to clear space fast.
What I do buy is this: a deal that sends one first-rounder from the Wizards side feels more realistic than people think, because the Hawks’ motivation sounds like flexibility, not “we need a haul no matter what.” If the Hawks’ priority is clean books and a reset, two future picks plus young players and an expiring can be the compromise.
Final Thoughts
If you’re the Wizards, this is the swing. You stop pretending you’re “patiently rebuilding” and you actually go get a real franchise guard while he’s gettable.
And if you’re the Hawks, this is the moment you choose clarity over the endless middle. McCollum keeps you functional, Whitmore and Johnson give you upside darts, and you move into the next era without dragging the Trae extension drama into every single month.
I’d do it. I don’t even think it’s crazy.
If the Wizards want to change their future in one phone call, this is the call.
