In an exclusive interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Trae Young says he first learned of the possibility of a trade to the Wizards “a few weeks ago” and is excited about the opportunity to help “revive” the franchise.
“That could be another reason why I’m here. We revive each other,” Young said. “The city can revive me as much as I can revive it. That’s a big reason why I want to come here. I want to be an impactful person and player everywhere I go. So, as much as I’m going to try to revive the city, I need the city and this team to give me as much as we’re going to give them.”
Although he’s enthusiastic about joining the Wizards, Young tells Spears he’s taking a wait-and-see approach to his long-term future with the team. The four-time All-Star holds a $49MM player option for 2026/27 and is also extension-eligible.
“That’s the thing. I’m obviously always where my feet are, especially now,” Young said. “My feet are all here right now. I obviously have a player option this summer. I just want to enjoy the city. Right now, who knows what that would be? It’s a good chance. You never know if I’ll be here or not.
“But for me, I like the people around here, obviously. Really, really like the people around here from front office, all those guys being from OKC and the people I just met around here. But I want to figure out more about the city and stuff like that before I even want to get thinking about that. I want to just be around my teammates and all that stuff before an extension.”
Here’s more on Young and the Wizards:
- General manager Will Dawkins tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic the Wizards have yet to engage in contract discussions with Young or his agent. Both Young and Dawkins said they’re hoping to see how he fits with the team at some point when he returns from injuries. “We’re learning more about his injury status,” Dawkins told The Athletic when asked whether he expects Young to play for the Wizards this season. “We’ll know more this weekend as he gets through it. Our hope is to see him with our guys so he can make a decision (about his player option) going into next summer as well. When that will be, I don’t know, but we won’t rush him. We want him to be 100 percent healthy before he goes out there.”
- At his introductory press conference on Friday, Young said he aims to elevate Washington’s young players, and Dawkins said the front office is confident he’ll be successful in that goal, Robbins notes. “I just want to bring the best out of these young guys, as far as on the court,” Young told reporters. “When … I’m able to be right and get on the court, (I want to) show that I can bring the best out of this team and these young guys that I’m around, and hopefully make an All-Star or two out of some of these other guys. That’s my goal for this.”
- As Spears writes for ESPN.com, Young has multiple connections to the Wizards’ front office. He was drafted by VP of player personnel Travis Schlenk, who was Atlanta’s head of basketball operations at the time. Dawkins, a longtime former Thunder executive, has also been aware of the Oklahoma native since Young was 12 years old. “There’s a lot of ties there being in Oklahoma City,” Dawkins said. “It’s a small town. He’s from Norman. My wife is from Norman. Her whole family lives there. He went to OU. My wife’s family works at OU, went to OU. Known him for a very long time. When you are in a city like that, you have player of the year-type candidates in high school and college, it is very easy to see him. You see him in the different gyms, you know his family, you know what he’s about, you know the fiber that he comes from.”
- In his interview with Spears, Young said he became emotional when driving to State Farm Arena ahead of Wednesday’s game, knowing it was potentially his last time doing so as a member of Atlanta’s organization. While he admits he was disappointed he didn’t receive a contract extension offer from the Hawks, which played a significant role in his departure, he said he left the team on good terms and publicly praised the franchise at his presser. “I loved it. I enjoyed it. For me, going there as a 19-, 20-year-old, it was a dream come true being able to be drafted there,” Young said, per Spears. “I have nothing but love and respect to the Ressler family. It was kind of their beginning of being in Atlanta too. Going in there at the same time with them, it was a dream come true. I’m happy that I had that. I feel like I needed that to be where I’m at today. Going forward, I think that everything I learned there is just going to make me the better player and the better person I need to be for this organization going forward. I’m just so thankful for my time there. But I’m excited about this next one.”