Inside The Wizards

Trae Young Verifies Wizards Changing Reputation

The newest Washington Wizard clarified that people around the league are catching wind of what the team is building, as he's taken careful note of the team's development program and upward trajectory.
Henry Brown|
Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young speaks at an introductory press conference prior to the Wizards' game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young speaks at an introductory press conference prior to the Wizards' game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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The Washington Wizards may still look like the regular bottom-feeders of old to anyone who judges basketball solely by win-loss counts, but they're building something that they hope will be around to compete for years to come. The players and fans have known that for awhile, and it would appear that word is beginning to spread around to the rest of the league.

CJ McCollum was a strong ambassador for the Wizards' promising youth movement during his short stint in Washington, spreading excitement over the players and direction that headline the rebuild. He was instrumental in the Wizards' netting of Trae Young in a midseason trade, and it was more than just his contract that helped make the exchange work.

Young, at one point one of the faces of the league, is attempting to regain control of his career at age-27, having fallen out of favor with the Atlanta Hawks team that he once guided to the Eastern Conference Finals. He's looking for a fresh start, and factored McCollum's praise in when piking Washington as his destination of choice.

"To piggyback off CJ, hearing him talk about the organization earlier this season, that was a big viral thing about how this is all changing around here, and for me, just being here these last 24 hours, you can tell," he said in his introductory Wizards presser. "This is a lot different than what the people from the outside may see."

Setting the Record Straight

Instagram and TikTok comment sections described a Wizards franchise that's spinning its wheels in swapping one ball-dominant star out for another, a pattern they've embarked in since Bradley Beal played there.

Anyone who's kept tabs on the organization can tell you that the team-building has generally gone swimmingly since new management took over two and a half years ago, now set to welcome Young with numerous young lob-catchers and tertiary scorers upon his return from injury.

Young needed some proof of concept before picking this as his next destination, and if his innumerable hard-fought battles against the WizKids let him know firsthand that they had something brewing. And McCollum isn't the first Wizards' veteran to speak glowingly of the squad, putting the league on notice that they could be just a few more years of development and a franchise guy away from being a real threat.

Young, who has a real chance to be that elusive star point guard to tie everything together, sounded excited for his next opportunity, another investor in the rebuild right before they make it mainstream. After years of aimlessness, he can see the vision and his place in Washington.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

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