What Does The Trae Young Trade Mean For The Washington Wizards? (1-12-26)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Scott Taetsch-Getty Images
WASHINGTON D.C. — Last Wednesday, Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins made arguably the most significant move of his stint as D.C’s head guy within the front office.
Dawkins sent veteran guard CJ McCollum and veteran forward Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for star point guard Trae Young.
The move took place after both the Wizards and Hawks games on Wednesday evening. Young had warmed up before the Hawks’ 117-100 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, and was seen in-game dapping up and saying goodbye to staff and teammates with about seven minutes remaining in the contest, before exiting the arena right before the buzzer sounded.
As for Kispert and McCollum, they were both on the sidelines for the Wizards’ road game against Philadelphia; they were sitting out with injury labels, clearly due to the trade’s orchestration.
How Did D.C. Become A Destination?
Young’s value was at one of its lowest points in his career. It’s not because he’s not a talented player or one of the league’s best scoring guards. But with the emergence of young guard Jalen Johnson in Atlanta and his ceiling continuing to grow year by year, the organization began to think.
Ever since the Hawks’ Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, they’ve been stuck in mediocre finishes with back-to-back first-round exits in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Followed by the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, they were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament after sub-500 finishes in the regular season.
It was clear that building around Young was failing to deliver the results of an NBA-contending team, and it may have been time to move in a different direction.
The reports were as follows: Young and his camp had been eyeing moves to either Brooklyn or Minnesota in the hopes of getting a fresh start. But Young also had Washington on his radar, which was first reported by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.
It’s also worth noting that the Wizards had the cap room to take on Young’s contract, which is also why Atlanta liked the idea of working with its Southeast foes. After taking on Young’s $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season, the Wizards are still projected to have about $46-$47 million in cap space in the offseason.
Why This Can Work For Both Young and D.C.?
Young emphasized in his introduction presser to D.C. on the 8th that he felt the city was an “overlooked big market.” He further talked about how he wants to have an impact on the court “as a vet playing along the young core.” But also make an impact on the city, as he did in Atlanta, within the community.
Young can immediately help the Wizards on the court, providing a playmaking, shot-creating point guard who can steady the offense and amplify his teammates. The Wizards were in dire need of a ball-handling point guard to move and run the offense, and Young will fit that.
As for the organization, they gain a premier player who will draw fans and viewership back up, which has been missing here since the departures of Bradley Beal and John Wall, two of Washington’s best players in franchise history.
How The Rebuild Can Still Thrive In The Nation’s Capital?
Make no mistake: this move helps the team’s present and future, but it does not thrust the Wizards back into playoff conversations or championship aspirations. They still have ways to go before they can start envisioning that, but it’s a significant step in the right direction. As Young said, he can be a considerable presence and leader for this young group in their developmental process.
Alex Sarr will benefit significantly from taking even a bigger jump paired up with Young; the pick-and-roll combo between the two will be deadly due to Sarr’s ability to spot up and shoot, step outside for a three-pointer, and attack the basket.
Kyshawn George can continue to play his never-back-down aggressive style of play, where he can take on ball-handling duties for possession, or space the floor and let Young find him for a catch-and-shoot jumper.
Bilal Coulibaly still has offensive development to do. Still, if he can continue to improve his jumper and pair that with his athletic frame and ability to attack the basket, then he’ll fit nicely next to Young. Also, Coulibaly will help Young greatly on the defensive end, taking on the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best player and being able to switch 1-4.
Tre Johnson will be fine. The young 2025 first-rounder has a sensational shooting touch from the floor that allows him to pull up from anywhere on the floor. Improving his ball-handling and defensive effort will be his main areas of focus.
Bub Carrington, I envision as the team’s sixth man who can come off the bench, run the offense, push the pace, and create shots for himself. Carrington is already doing that this season at a high level, with his efficiency improving every night.
The team is still navigating an up-and-down 2025 season that will likely see them finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and NBA standings. Still, it’ll allow them to hopefully choose high in what is predicted as one of the NBA’s most talented draft classes in 2026.
