What Wizards Trae Young Trade Means For Knicks

Last night, news broke that the Atlanta Hawks traded four-time All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards -his preferred destination- for 34-year-old CJ McCollum and three-point specialist Corey Kispert. The 27-year-old guard was on Atlanta’s bench when the deal went down, which is very relevant to the New York Knicks as they own Washington’s top-8 protected first-round pick this summer.

The Knicks will get Washington's 2026 first-round pick if it falls outside of the top 8. If the pick doesn't convey this year, it turns into two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The Wizards must finish with the fifth worst record or worse for even a chance that the pick falls to ninth. They currently are the fourth worst team in the league at 10-26.

After starting the season 1-15, Brian Keefe’s team has been playing good basketball of late, winning seven of their last thirteen games. The Wizards are currently just 3.5 games better than Dallas for the ninth worst record in the league. However, Washington will cautiously proceed with Young, who’s dealing with a quad injury, and there's likely no urgency to fully integrate him into the lineup right away.

The Knicks Need The Wizards To Keep On Winning

Many believe that in by acquiring Young, Washington’s tank is over. But the Hawks' record this year when he plays suggests otherwise. On the season, Atlanta is 2-8 with him as compared to 16-11 without him. Moreover, Atlanta has the NBA’s worst defense this season with Young on the court.

Despite being one of the best playmakers and most marketable players in the league, Atlanta didn’t get a single draft pick back in the deal and Young was essentially salary dumped. His contract pays him $46M this season and has a $49M player option for 2026-27. The trade doesn't just show how low the NBA is on him but is reflective of a league-wide shift away from ball-dominant, diminutive, no defense guards.

During his seven-plus seasons in Atlanta, Young led the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 and playoffs three times - all while having no All-Star teammate. He leaves the Hawks as the team's all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers (1,295). The six-foot-two floor general has scored or assisted on 48.1 point per game in his career, second-most in NBA history behind Luka Doncic, who he was traded for on draft night in 2018.

Young Left A Lasting Legacy In Atlanta

The Wizards have spent the last few years cobbling together one of the most intriguing young cores in the league. Young's playmaking should help accelerate the development of those players and he’s very much a bridge player who helps set Washington onto the path to contention.

It’s fitting that Young’s last game as a Hawk came against the Knicks with him turning the ball over in the final seconds of a one-point game. Not long ago, Young was public enemy No. 1 among Knicks fans. It started in the 2021 NBA playoffs, when Young averaged 29 points in the Hawks five-game opening round win over New York.

His series concluding bow at center court in Madison Square Garden sparked a long-standing hatred, leading to spontaneous "F*** Trae Young" and “Trae is Balding! chants from Knicks fans. He took things a step further last season, rolling fake dice on the Knicks logo following Atlanta’s 108-100 win in the NBA Cup quarterfinal.

“It’s a love-hate relationship,” Young told ESPN following the game. “I got a lot of love and a lot of hate I guess from them, but I got a lot love from them too. It’s respect.”

Young can go from a Madison Square Garden villain to hero if he leads Washington out of the protected pick that would go to the Knicks. It’s still a bit far-fetched, but Knicks fans just became massive supporters of him for the rest of the season.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!