The Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks started the NBA trade season with a blockbuster deal on Wednesday night. Trae Young was traded his talents to Washington, with Atlanta receiving CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in return. While the majority of the media is talking about the Trae Young trade to the Wizards, ESPN’s most electric personality seems to think quite the opposite of the majority.
Major NBA Media Member Dismisses Wizards’ Trae Young Trade
While the NBA world is still recovering from the news of Young being shipped out, longtime sports analyst and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith made it seem he thought the trade was irrelevant. When asked about his thoughts on the deal Thursday morning during First Take, Smith had this to say:
“Not much because it involves the Washington Wizards, so who cares? It’s just the truth. I mean, the fact of the matter is, ain’t nobody is thinking about the Washington Wizards right now. Trae Young can play… In Washington, you know he can score, you know he can play, you know he can be a point guard when he wants to… but Washington has a long way to go.” -Stephen A. Smith, First Take
Smith’s criticism is warranted. However, disregarding Young’s potential fit with the Wizards may come back to bite him in the long run. Washington now has a true point guard to play with the rising electric offensive game of players like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson, among others.
Smith’s Main Criticism Of Young
While mentioning that Young is a “prolific scorer” and certainly giving him his flowers, Smith’s main critique of Young was his poor defensive ability. Clark asked Smith about what happened, bringing up his rise to stardom before leading into the eventual trade; Smith answered:
“Other teams got better, and you have to be able to stop people. What was really glaring is that the Atlanta Hawks were so much better defensively when Trae Young wasn’t on the floor than when he was on the floor. But the real big problem was the liability.”
Young’s weakness on defense has been a problem since he entered the league. He’s small, and other teams have no problem taking advantage of him on offense. He currently has a 120 defensive rating, the second-highest mark in his career. However, Washington has defenders to surround Young and mask his problems, in particular Sarr, George, and Bilal Coulibaly.
Washington’s Recent Rise
Another small push back to Smith’s claims is how well the Wizards have played recently. Bub Carrington has elevated his play to match the duo of Sarr and George. Johnson has increasingly gained confidence, leading to a 40/40/90 December. Justin Champagnie has proven to be the best contract in the NBA. The entire team has slowly been putting the league on notice, and Young should amplify that tenfold.
The Last Word
While Smith may not seem overly excited about Young’s addition to Washington, the league should be. It won’t translate to wins immediately, but it’ll fill the seats and give Washington a true number one scorer and playmaker. Regardless of anyone’s opinion, Young’s trade has certainly shaken the NBA world.
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