Why, Washington?
Well done, Trae.
On January 9, 2026, the Atlanta Hawks, 19-21, concluded it was time to exit the Trae Young Business.
It was too late to sell even high-ish, but there was nothing to be done about that. In the end, the Wizards played ball, sending CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in return.
Kispert offers some value as a shooter (47/38/80 career splits), but astoundingly little on D and grades out as replacement level overall. McCollum, meanwhile, is a consummate pro who, even into his mid-30s, is good for an efficient 19 per night and some offensive facilitation.
That McCollum’s almost exactly six years older than Trae will have been beside the point. To an extent, so too will the fact that he’s still quite good. He was a cheaper veteran whose smart, mature presence would support Atlanta’s talented young core until his contract expired this summer.
It was a “gentle salary-dump.”
What they got, of course, was everything they’d have hoped to get from their departed onetime cornerstone. McCollum kicked in his efficient 19 per night and was a steady veteran leader. Jalen Johnson exploded as an All-NBA player. Outside of an injured-hampered February, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was even better than he’d been to start the season, en route to the league’s Most Improved Player award. And the team started winning!
The Hawks posted a 27-15 record after the trade and cruised into the playoffs as the East’s #5 seed, where they were the only team to take more than a single game off the Knicks. McCollum was huge down the stretch in both of those wins. He will return on an eminently reasonable one year and $21 million.
What Washington Wanted
Even in the best of times, I was never in on Trae. For me, he’s never been good enough at the things he’s really good at to headline a meaningful team. He is an excellent playmaker and passer, sure, but the awful lot he doesn’t offer otherwise really eats into that value. He’s undersized, not physical, and a genuine liability on defense. Even shy of his 29th birthday, he’s seemingly no longer quick or explosive enough on offense to consistently make up for it. Plus, he’s only topped 34% from 3-point range once in three full seasons since 2021-221.
It’s the conclusion the Hawks, with basically a better version of this roster, just reached — judging by the market for Trae’s services, along with the rest of the NBA.
Still, for an outfit as bereft of both talent and brand recognition (certainly the kind you’d want) as the Wizards of recent years, you could talk yourself into it as a limited-downside flyer. The accompanying Anthony Davis deal came with a greater commitment — a couple million more in 2025-26 (prorated) and $58.5 million this season2 — but also a greater likelihood of higher-level production and some return before the deadline.
Anyway, there is something to the idea that Trae will generate some easy buckets for the Wizards’ young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and now #1 overall pick AJ Dybansta (whom I could not be more bullish on). Fair enough.
But the style of play with which he’s thrived in the past is no longer viable for him and potentially counterproductive for what is now an intriguing and potentially quite fun young team. Even if he’s not in his purely heliocentric role of years past, a Trae-led offense is always going to be, to a fairly significant extent, the Trae Young Show. The guy runs a near-45% career assist rate. That’s cool, I guess, but also directly conflicts with what’s cool about this team.
The plan with Trae should have been simple. Ride out his expiring $46.4 million deal and either bring him back on a more modest deal or let him pursue more lucrative opportunities if they arose.
An Ode to Aaron Mintz
Not the MCL, quad, and subsequent back issues limited him to just 10 of the Hawks’ 34 games pre-trade. Not the 104 late-season minutes he spent on the floor in five outings for the tanking Wiz. NOTHING that took place during the 2025-26 season suggested four years3 and $212 million was in the offing for Trae Young.
They weren’t into him for much because, six months ago, no one topped their modest offer. If you’d wanted to keep him around, why not let the market reiterate its disinterest and shoot for something more palatable? Say, $100 million over three years?
Otherwise, this should only ever have been either a pass-through.
Why would a 17-win, mid-rebuild team, on the literal eve of adding a potentially transformational 19-year-old talent to its roster…
… effectively max out Trae Young? Who was bidding against them? The Nets? Great! Let him go, recoup something useful for AD, and stride confidently into a desperately-need new era, with a bunch of cap space.
Instead, GM Will Dawkins has locked up 30% of the cap for four years — or all of the cheap ones of his young core.
The mind boggles.
I’m not counting last year’s 33.8% mark in 15 games.
AD’s got a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28, which I imagine he’ll decline if he’s healthy.
The fourth is a player option.