Wizards Secure Trae Young with New Contract

Retaining key players is vital for a team, but there’s a fine line when making contracts.

On Monday, the Wizards finalized a four-year, $212 million deal with star point guard Trae Young, according to ESPN.

Though Young will remain in Washington, some NBA analysts, including ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, have criticized this contract as potentially one of the league’s worst.

“I think this is immediately one of the worst contracts in the league,” Windhorst commented on the podcast “The Hoop Collective.” “I didn’t mean to sound harsh, but… I genuinely think they can’t trade this contract without adding a No. 1 pick.”

For a rebuilding team, offering such a hefty contract to a 29-year-old like Young is quite a gamble, especially with a player option worth $56.9 million in the contract’s final year.

Interestingly, the Wizards also hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft happening tonight, so perhaps all of this risk could pay off if they manage to become competitive right away.

They’re expected to grab a talented player. The Post’s Zach Braziler has suggested they might select BYU forward AJ Divanza, who is ready for the league.

The organization is aiming to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season, after finishing last season with a dismal 17-65 record.

Young originally joined the Wizards in a trade from the Hawks earlier this year but only played five games for Washington due to an injury.

When at his best, Young is indeed among the league’s top guards, boasting career averages of over 20 points and 10 assists per game across his eight years in the NBA.