Atlanta Hawks Trade Trae Young To The Washington Wizards In First Blockbuster Deal Of The Season

The Trae Young era is officially over in Atlanta as the four-time All-Star has been shipped to the Wizards in the first blockbuster trade of this NBA season

Feb 8, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Trae Young era is officially over in Atlanta.

The talks of Young being dealt heated up this week and now it has happened. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Young is being traded to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

BREAKING: The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time NBA All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WIf8rhrRFu

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026

Earlier this week, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Wizards had emerged as a "legitimate" trade partner for Trae Young and that the deal would be centered around CJ McCollum's expiring contract. Shortly after that report on Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Young was working with the Hawks on a deal to send him out of Atlanta.

Then things continued to escalate as talks went on.

NBA insider Jake Fischer had this to say this morning about the talks between the Hawks and the Wizards:

"The Hawks and Wizards have indeed engaged in serious discussions on a Young swap, league sources say, but a trade might not necessarily happen fast.

I'm told Atlanta wants to see, if possible between now and the Feb. 5 trade buzzer, if any other potential trade partners emerge.

So far, though, it has been difficult to confirm another team in active pursuit of Young.

The Wizards, according to several league sources briefed on the talks, have been monitoring Young's situation ever since the offseason came and went with no extension.

The Wizards in particular, are likewise known as a team that will take on long-term salary if necessary if it can bring them additional draft capital. If Washington can also be part of Young rebuilding his trade value, like his former AAU teammate Michael Porter Jr. has in Brooklyn this season, even better.

The Wizards, furthermore, are in pretty dire need of some entertainment value for their long-suffering fans on top of the team's clear need for an established table-setter. My recent trip to the nation's capital to work on a couple features delivered two of the emptier, more lifeless home games I've ever attended.

One more thing here: If an Atlanta/Washington trade does come to fruition, I can certainly see the Wizards proposing to Young's representation that the parties do an extension of some sort. Would Young be willing to rip up his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season in exchange for a longer deal with more manageable annual average value? Important question to file away.

League personnel we've consulted on the topic have projected that such an offer would have to be north of $100 million over three years to hold any appeal."

One of the greats

Dec 27, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in action against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now, Young is on the Washington Wizards and one of the greatest players to ever wear a Hawks uniform is no longer on the team.

Young is a four-time All-Star, one time All-NBA player, led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were two wins away from making the NBA Finals (had an official not stepped on his ankle, perhaps they would have), and is the Hawks' all-time assist leader. Young led the Hawks to the playoffs three times, but the franchise had not made it since the 2022-2023 season.

It became increasingly clear after the Young did not sign any sort of extension with the Hawks that his time in Atlanta might be nearing its end. Still, the team had seemingly constructed the right team around him, with Dyson Daniels coming off an elite campaign, Zaccharie Risacher nearly winning rookie of the year, Jalen Johnson emerging as a star player, signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the summer trade for Kristaps Porzingis. It looked like the Hawks might have finally figured out how to surround Young with the right pieces.

The sad part is, we will never really know. When Young got injured in the fourth game of the season, he was out for an extended period of time. Porzingis has also missed quite a few games this season and the Hawks have rarely been healthy this season. Yes, the team won more without Young, but we still never got to see the team on the floor all at once for hardly any time.

Young is now off to Washington and the Hawks have to figure out what comes next.