Grading The Trae Young Blockbuster Trade

The fifth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft joins a Wizards’ squad that desperately needs an offensive orchestrator. They rank 27th with a 110.3 offensive rating for the season. Young can certainly give players like Sarr, George, Johnson, and Bilal Coulibaly open looks in the halfcourt. Over the last three seasons, both Atlanta and Washington finished inside the top 10 in pace, so Young is already familiar with Wizards head coach Brian Keefe’s fast-paced style. The former University of Oklahoma prospect developed into one of the best pick-and-roll maestros in the league. It will especially be interesting to watch how he and Sarr develop as a strong guard-center duo.

Young might not lead the Wizards to a championship, but he will serve as an excellent bridge to help Washington’s play finishers offensively. The move essentially comes with little to no risk, making this an excellent buy-low acquisition from general manager Will Dawkins.

Atlanta Hawks Grade: C

Sending Out: Trae Young

Receiving: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert

This blockbuster move ultimately comes down to money for the Hawks. Before the 2025-26 season started, Atlanta and Young could not agree on an extension, meaning he could opt out of his $49 million player option for next season. However, it seemed both parties did not see eye-to-eye on a potential deal, and the Hawks may have thought Young’s recent performance did not match his value. As a result, Atlanta essentially “salary dumped” a franchise legend for an underwhelming return that left some Hawks fans understandably puzzled.

McCollum’s contract comes off the books at $30.7 million this summer, giving Atlanta more financial flexibility. In fact, McCollum, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Luke Kennard’s contracts all expire. It would give the Hawks more than $70 million in cap space this summer. They could also use the space to go after a big name at the trade deadline and extend a player this summer, such as Anthony Davis. However, the Dallas Mavericks’ star reportedly wants a maximum contract extension, and at 32 years old with an extensive injury history, it would certainly be a high-risk move.

The Trae Young trade brings in a new era of Hawks basketball centered around star forward Jalen Johnson. With weeks still ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Atlanta could make more moves to prepare its new-look roster.