The reporting surrounding a potential Trae Young trade heated up quickly on Jan. 7. ESPN’s Shams Charania announced the Washington Wizards as the four-time All-Star’s target destination. Just hours later, when the Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans began the fourth quarter, Charania announced the deal.
Washington sends CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta for Young. Oftentimes, deals for star players like the former Hawks’ guard involve draft capital, but this transaction is a straight swap. While other franchises could join in on the trade before it is finalized, it looks like Washington executed a great buy-low move in acquiring Young.
Grading The Trae Young Blockbuster Trade
Washington Wizards Grade: A
Sending Out: CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert
Receiving: Trae Young
Washington traded an expiring contract in McCollum and Kispert, a 26-year-old role player, for Young. It did not part ways with any of its promising young core or first-round picks. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George took big steps forward offensively in their sophomore seasons, showing more consistent shooting and shot creation than they did in their rookie campaigns. The Wizards drafted Tre Johnson sixth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he can now learn from one of the best guards in the league. The Wizards now hope Young can re-establish himself as an All-NBA caliber player. He had Washington at the top of his preferred trade destinations.
Joining NBA Countdown tonight to discuss the Washington Wizards vision in acquiring Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks big-picture outlook: pic.twitter.com/FkFz4Rs4zE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026
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.
Anthony Davis’ goal is to receive a max extension, per @BrettSiegelNBA pic.twitter.com/6EUYwLFdPG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 8, 2026
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.
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