Did the Hawks Get Enough Back in the Trae Young Trade?

The Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, but is that enough for one of the franchise's greatest players?

Jan 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shown on the court before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After nearly eight full seasons as the face of the Atlanta Hawks franchise, Trae Young has been traded.

During the Hawks' game against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight, ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news that Young was going to be traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange 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

Things began to heat up this week when NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Wizards had emerged as a legitimate destination for Young and things progressed with each day. Now the Hawks are going to turn the page on one era and begin one that does not include their all-time leader in assists.

Now that the trade has gone official, it is time to analyze the return. Did the Hawks get enough back for Young?

Analyzing the Trade

Jan 6, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) drives to the basket during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

On the surface, the average NBA fan is going to think that the Hawks got fleeced in this deal. Young is a four-time All Star and one of the greatest players in Atlanta history. He lead the league in assists last season and is one of the top offensive engines and play makers in the league still.

If you dig deeper though, this is a perfectly reasonable return for Young given the contract status and his lack of trade value around the league. The best way to look at what happened through a Hawks lens is to see the flexibility that this now creates for Atlanta. With McCollum, Porzingis, and Luke Kennard, the Hawks have more than $70 million in expiring contracts that could turn into cap room this summer or be moved for a big time player via trade, such as Anthony Davis, who they have been linked to over the past few weeks.

That alone could make this trade worth it if the Hawks make the right moves. The players they have under contract next season are Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Corey Kispert, Asa Newell, Vit Krejci, Mouhamed Gueye (team option for next season), and N'Faly Dante. McCollum, Porzingis, and Kennard are all going to be gone, and if the team wanted maximum flexibility, they could decline the team option on Gueye, though I highly doubt that is something that will happen. Not only that, they could have two first-round picks, including a shot at the No. 1 overall pick, thanks to the trade with the Pelicans.

Of course, the Hawks have to make the right moves with this flexibility and add to this team in a responsible way. Flexibility only matters if you use it right.

For the players they got back, McCollum can help fill the role that Young had on the team. McCollum is still a very good scoring guard, who can hit from three and the midrange game. On any given night, McCollum can drop 30 plus points and lead an offense. It will be interesting to see whether he starts or not for the Hawks moving forward, but he does bring value to this team on the offensive end of the court.

Kispert is one of the best shooters in the league and will help space the floor for the Hawks. He is a 39.5% three point shooter this season and while he will have three more years on his contract after this season, it is at a manageable number. As a 7th or 8th man off a bench, Kispert is a perfectly reasonable player to have on the team.

While it might not seem like a lot on the surface, the Hawks have more optionality and flexibility with Young not on the roster anymore. They can continue to build around Jalen Johnson and the younger players while having the choice to either trade for a big star given their number of expiring contracts and space or wait until summer and add to the team. That is going to be the true test for the Hawks to prove that trading one of their best players in franchise history was worth it.