Wizards Trade for Trae Young Made Official

The Washington Wizards have spent most of the 2025-26 season on the backburner in the Eastern Conference, developing young weapons in the shadows as veteran scorers take the spotlight and define a team overlaid with a terribly familiar sheen of mediocrity.

Though clearly, the front office wasn't satisfied with the moves made this offseason; dating back to the initial Bradley Beal trade that fully ushered in Washington's rebuild, a bigger plan seemed to be taking place behind the scenes. Now, having traded for a four-time All-Star, said plan appears to be in full effect.

Trae Young - that All-Star who has led the Atlanta Hawks to multiple playoff appearances and cemented himself as one of the best passers in the league - was said to be headed to D.C. earlier this week in a trade that would send CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in return.

Made Official

After a painful period of silence surrounding the move, a post from NBA correspondent Marc Stein, quoting the Atlanta Hawks' own official announcement, quelled the worries of Wizards fans who'd feared it may have been too good to be true after all.

"Trae Young is now officially a Washington Wizard" said Stein, in a post on X (Twitter) confirming the best news Wizards fans have received all season. Times are changing in D.C. and, after what felt like forever, Washington can expect their new point guard to arrive soon.

Trae Young is now officially a Washington Wizard: https://t.co/VuaUAMCZ39
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 9, 2026

In addition to Stein's own testimony, Young himself posted a telling goodbye to Atlanta on the same platform that seemed to dry the ink itself.

Drying the Ink

"...Anothter Opportunity," Young declared. With the bow now being tied on arguably the biggest blockbuster move in the league this year, the NBA can officially look to Washington as a place where players want to be again.

If Young is first - whilst the team is 10-26 - who could be next when success starts rolling in?

…Another Opportunity🙏🏽💯❄️ pic.twitter.com/jDk09ZI8BZ
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 9, 2026

Young heading to Washington essentially signals the end of their ever-dire rebuilding phase, with the win-now move serving as the cherry on top of the younger players that had been pieced throughout the lineup up to this point.

Even if this season ends poorly as Young continues to treat a sprained MCL, next year is shaping up to be the most exciting, and most important, in recent Wizards history.

For the first time in a long time in Washington, the time to compete is right now.

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