Hawks Want Wizards Sharpshooter in Potential Trae Young Trade

Trae Young's trade to the Washington Wizards is on the verge of being finalized. A saga that has lasted a few short days is coming to a close, as a deal seems imminent between the two teams. The trade talks did escalate, though, once Trae Young made it clear that Washington is his top choice for a trade destination, and the Wizards seem to be the only team that wants him.

The most significant question mark, though, is who the Wizards send to the Atlanta Hawks and what they can get in return? The Wizards will certainly send CJ McCollum to the Hawks, but the rest of the package is uncertain. AJ Johnson is a prime candidate, but now it seems like Corey Kispert is the piece that gets the deal done.

UPDATE: League sources tell @TheSteinLine that the Hawks have interest in the Wizards’ Corey Kispert and — if a Trae Young-to-Washington trade materializes — Atlanta hopes to have Kispert in the deal. https://t.co/iEOs0KmyQS
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 7, 2026

Corey Kispert Could be on the Move

Marc Stein recently announced that the Hawks value Kispert and want him in the trade package for Young. The one problem with this is that the Wizards think and value Kispert very highly. So, to move on from one of the front offices' favorite players requires some extra compensation. Luckily, the Hawks have a lottery pick they can package in a trade.

The Hawks own the rights to swap with the New Orleans Pelicans pick this season, and the Milwaukee Bucks get the worst of the pick between the Hawks, Bucks, and Pelicans. Right now, as it stands, the Bucks' pick would be the worst, so they do not swap anywhere. This is why the pick would be extremely valuable in Washington, as it could allow the team to have two top-five picks in a loaded draft class.

To do this, the team practically has to include Kispert and another promising player. The two obvious choices to be included with Kispert and McCollum are Marvin Bagley or Justin Champagnie. Going based on value, Champagnie almost guarantees it is enough to get that Pelicans pick.

The specific draft compensation that would be added to the trade construction is not yet known, but it’s increasingly believed that CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert would be the primary outgoing Wizards if a Trae Young-to-Washington deal reaches completion. https://t.co/LmMfYrqhZL
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 7, 2026

Bullets Forever's Greg Finberg added that Kispert has been downgraded to out for Washington's contest against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, which could signal that talks with Atlanta are heating up.

How Does this Trade Affect the Rotation

This trade obviously leaves Washington short-handed off the bench, but it does keep the tank alive. The starters remain the same; you just replace McCollum with Young. So a starting five, when healthy, looks like Young at the point, Tre Johnson at the two, Kyshawn George at the three, Bilal Coulibaly at the four, and Alex Sarr holding down the interior. Offensively, the lineup looks deadly, but there are questions about the defense for the guards.

The bench, though, gets weak, with the leading players being Bub Carrington, Bagley, and Khris Middleton. Middleton is a favorite to be bought out, though, so the bench may get even weaker. This is why, even if the team trades for Young, fans should not worry about losing their pick. The bench will be weak enough to keep the tank going, and some phantom injuries will likely occur in March and April.

Overall, a trade is imminent. The question is just what the package is. Kispert could be involved, along with Champagnie. If that's the case, though, Will Dawkins needs to either get the Pelicans pick in return or multiple draft picks across multiple seasons.

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