Wizards Might Be Climbing Out of the NBA Basement
It seems like the Wizards are considering a way out of the NBA cellar. Reports suggest that they could be in discussions with the Hawks regarding a trade for guard Trae Young, possibly involving veteran CJ McCollum, whose contract is set to expire soon.
Shams Charania from ESPN shared on Monday that Young, who is 27, and his agent have started talks with the Hawks about a potential trade. Mark Spears of ESPN noted that Young is “open to” the idea of moving, hinting he’s not necessarily demanding a trade but isn’t against the possibility either. “I think he has quite a bit of tolerance for being moved,” Spears added during a segment on ESPN.
There seems to be a growing sentiment that the Hawks and Young might be heading toward a split, especially after the team recently turned down his max extension offer.
Young, a four-time All-Star, has a $49 million player option this year and has the chance to sign a longer deal during the offseason. As Atlanta struggles with a 17-21 record halfway through the season, they might consider acquiring assets now rather than miss out on what could be a lost season.
Meanwhile, the Wizards aren’t faring well either, with the fourth-worst record in the league at 9-25. A trade could be a pivotal move for them, potentially allowing them to gather young talent for the future.
Questions linger about how Young would mesh with the existing roster, especially as the Hawks seem hesitant to extend his contract, but he could certainly take a leading role with a team like Washington that’s in rebuilding mode.
There’s also the fact that Young is undeniably talented, averaging 25.2 points and 9.8 assists over his career. However, his recent season has been marred by injuries, limiting him to just 10 games and dropping those averages to 19.3 points and 8.9 assists.
As for McCollum, at 34, he’s the leading scorer for the Wizards this season, averaging 18.6 points per game, and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season ends. The Hawks could look to either keep Young for the remainder of the season or trade him by the deadline to leverage some assets.
