Potential Trae Young trade indicative of how far star guard has fallen

Young has played in 10 games while battling knee and quad injuries and is averaging 19.3 points on 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting splits while averaging a career-low 28 minutes per game. Per ESPN, the Hawks have been much better without the 2018 first-round pick, going 15-12 and allowing 117.4 points per game in his 27 games missed compared to 2-8 while conceding 126.7 point per game with him.

Years ago, Young would have commanded a serious return in a trade package. But the 2024-25 assist leader's stock has arguably never been lower, which could make acquiring McCollum's roughly $30.7M expiring contract the best available move.

McCollum, 34, remains an efficient shooter — he's making 39.2 percent of his threes on a seven attempts per game this season — and would provide a valuable veteran presence. However, he's unlikely to raise Atlanta's ceiling enough to make much of a difference in the East, making a potential deal most valuable as a form of salary cap relief.

Young has a $48.967M 2026-27 player option, and instead of having that on the books, the Hawks could accelerate a rebuild with him off the roster. As for the Wizards (9-25, 14th in Eastern Conference), they're already comfortably in rebuild mode, making Young an ill long-term fit.

It's unclear what lies ahead for Young, both in the immediate future and beyond. But he must rebound from a rough end to his time in Atlanta at his next stop to improve his value.