Trae Young's Preferred Trade Destination Is Out And He Reportedly Wants To Become....A Washington Wizard?!?!
Kevin C. Cox. Getty Images.When the news first broke that the Trae Young Era in Atlanta was over, there were initial reports that suggested one of the few teams in the NBA that had tested the waters of a trade was the Washington Wizards. Given where they are in their rebuild that was a bit shocking, and I don't think you were crazy if you were wondering why the hell the Wizards would be in the mix.
Usually, when a star player demands a trade, what comes next is Shams putting out the preferred destination or at least the "list" of potential destinations. Some players get what they want (Harden, KD, Jimmy Butler), other players not so much (Dame). But at least for fans, it lets us have an idea of the market.
Well today Shams brought the goods and informed us all of Trae Young's preferred destination, and suddenly those initial reports make a whole lot more sense
How I envision the Wizards reacted once they learned that they were in fact the top preferred destination
When the news first broke, one thing you had to consider was given Young's contract situation, anyone who was going to trade for him had to feel pretty confident that he would sign an extension. Not only do you need to be a team that wants to be in the Trae Young business long term, but he also has to want you back
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Couple of ways to look at this:
1. Young is eligible to extend for 3 years if traded. The first year of the extension removes his $49M player option. Year 1 can be lower.
2. If he’s not traded, the teams that have significant cap space this offseason include Washington, Brooklyn, Chicago, Utah and possibly both LA teams.
3. You’re probably asking, why would Washington trade for him if they could just sign him outright? Well, if you can pick up something of value (perhaps a first or couple seconds), it makes sense. Second, if they really like him why wait until the summer when you could lose him. Similar situation to what Toronto did with Brandon Ingram.
4. Is Atlanta pressured to do something now? Not all. Unless they are trading for another player and taking on significant salary next season, they can move Young on their terms. But if you can get all of his money off for next season, it certainly seems worth it.
My guess is that letting a team know you are the preferred destination makes the Wizards a little more comfortable about an extension, and then in turn giving up the assets it would require to make it happen.
The question then becomes, should the Wizards even want to do something like this?
The more I think about it, the more I don't see why not. From a talent perspective, it doesn't really matter how much cap space the Wizards have, they are not bringing in a player of that caliber in unrestricted free agency. While he's not a perfect player, we don't need to go overboard and suggest that Trae Young isn't good. He just has his flaws, like a whole lot of other players. If you're a team that is looking to contend right this second, perhaps it wouldn't make sense to put your eggs in the Trae Young basket. But that's not exactly where the Wizards are.
Positionally, this is a roster that does need a point guard. They need someone to help them get organized, run sets, and create opportunities for others. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to pair someone like Sarr with an elite passing point guard to help operate in the P&R, something that Young usually ranks in around the 70th or so percentile in. In the 2023-24 season, he was in the 80th. When you look at the rest of the Wizards' roster when it comes to P&R ball handlers, if you assume they give up CJ McCollum's money in this trade, things are not all that great when you look at their other guards
Considering their center of the future Alex Sarr only ranks in the 36th percentile as the roll man in P&R this season, that feels like a no-brainer way to help unlock and develop that part of his game, which in my opinion is important for the Wizards' future.
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It just feels like a low risk/high reward situation for the Wizards. It's not like there is a young guard who would be stunted by this move, given that Bub Carrington hasn't really shown all that much. Given Young's ability to score, that should only help open up more space for guys like Tre Johnson, Corey Kispert, Kyshawn George etc due to his offensive gravity.
So when you think about it, Trae Young wanting the Wizards and the Wizards potentially wanting Trae Young makes some sense. Plus, the former GM of the Hawks who drafted Trae Young currently works in the Wizards front office (Travis Schlenk).
What we do know is that once Shams puts out the list, it's only a matter of time before the deal happens. I do think the Wizards would be silly to wait if they truly are interested, because you don't want teams like the Clippers to even be able to have a chance. Steve Ballmer has endless money and clearly wants stars, and knowing that James Harden's time is running out, they too will have a need at point before you know it.
So I say why not. Pull the trigger, let Young help the Wizards yonung guys develop for a few years while you continue the rebuild, then flip him towards the back half of his deal if you want. What's the downside, the Wizards lose games? Pretty sure that's already happening (although they are on a mini heater right now winning 5 of their last 7!).