Trae Young Agrees To Four-Year Deal With Wizards

Young is taking a deal closer to what a rival team could have offered him rather than a longer max agreement with his current team. Young’s projected max is worth $212.9MM over four years from another suitor or $287.1MM over five years with the Wizards. However, the player option gives him some future flexibility.

Young declined his $48.97MM option for the 2026/27 season in order to become an unrestricted free agent. It was still anticipated that he would re-sign with Washington, which traded for him in midseason.

Young’s first-year salary is estimated to be $49.5MM, which amounts to 30 percent of the projected 2026/27 salary cap. During the 2029/30 season, the final year of the contract, Young will earn $56.9MM if he opts in.

It’s still a massive commitment and a higher figure than most experts had projected for Young, signalling not only Washington’s belief in him but also the potential that another suitor might have been willing to give him a max offer. The new anti-tanking measures may have played a role in Washington’s thinking with the belief that more teams would seek ways to be more competitive, rather than rebuilding through the lottery.

Young’s agreement comes one day before Washington makes the top pick in the draft.

With Young’s projected salary, Washington may need to create roster spots and reduce payroll to open up full use of the mid-level or their $13.1MM trade exception. cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.

Young was limited to a combined 15 games with Atlanta and Washington this past season. In 2024/25, Young averaged 24.2 points and a career-high 11.6 assists per contest in 76 games.