While the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards have indeed engaged in serious discussions on a Trae Young trade, an actual agreement may not materialize quickly ahead of the deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer. The Hawks want to see whether another team emerges with interest in acquiring Young closer to the February 5th trade deadline.
But there have been no other publicly confirmed teams with interest in trading for Young at this point beyond the Wizards.
Sources also tell Fischer that the Wizards have been monitoring the possibility of acquiring Young ever since he and the Hawks didn’t agree to an extension in the offseason. The Wizards currently project to have $80 million in cap space during the 2026 offseason and their ability to reach the salary cap floor is being monitored by rival cap strategists.
“They have to spend that money somewhere,” one rival league executive said.
The Wizards have a need at point guard and a general lack of excitement amongst their fan base for the current state of the roster that Young could help alleviate.
Young has a $49 million player option and it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to decline it for a longer term deal at a lower annual average value. Young would likely need a multi-year contract worth more than $100 million to consider it.
Young’s representatives have proposed the possibility of the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves, but neither team appears interested at this juncture.