Hawks send Trae Young to Wizards in blockbuster deal, reuniting him with a familiar executive and reshaping both franchises' futures.
The Atlanta Hawks have moved on from the face of their franchise, agreeing to trade Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in a deal that reshapes both organizations and signals a clear shift in direction.
Sources confirmed to Roundtable that the Hawks will send Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. No draft compensation is included in the deal. The move ends Young’s seven-plus-season run with the Atlanta Hawks, where he served as the franchise cornerstone for most of the past decade.
The trade reunites Young with Travis Schlenk, the executive who drafted him in 2018 and now serves as vice president of player personnel in Washington. Together, they will attempt to recapture the vision that once positioned Atlanta as one of the league’s most promising young teams.
Young’s tenure in Atlanta began with rapid ascent. By his third NBA season, he had already delivered one of the defining playoff runs in franchise history, leading the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. A foot injury sidelined him for part of that series, and Atlanta ultimately fell short, but the run cemented Young’s status as one of the league’s most prolific offensive engines.
Over his time with the Hawks, Young earned four All-Star selections and All-NBA honors in 2022. He was the focal point of Atlanta’s offense and its public identity, tasked with carrying a roster that often relied heavily on his shot creation and playmaking.
This season, the results only intensified the internal evaluation. Young averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 10 games, but Atlanta struggled to find traction with him in the lineup, posting a 2-8 record in those contests. By contrast, the Hawks went 15-13 without him, a split that reinforced questions about roster balance, defensive cohesion and long-term direction.
That alignment gradually unraveled. Atlanta’s front office underwent multiple changes during Young’s prime, culminating in a new leadership group led by Onsi Saleh taking control last offseason. On the bench, Young played under three permanent head coaches, with Quin Snyder assuming the role in 2023. Many of the decision-makers who originally built around Young were no longer in place, leading to a growing philosophical divide.
On the court, the Hawks struggled to find consistency this season with Young available. When he was off the floor, Atlanta showed flashes of a different identity, moving the ball more freely, playing at a faster tempo, and defending at a noticeably higher level. Those stretches magnified a broader league-wide shift away from undersized guards who provide limited defensive value and lack the off-ball shooting to fit seamlessly into varied lineups, particularly at maximum salary levels.
Atlanta was also facing a looming financial decision. Young holds a $49 million player option for next season, a figure that would have significantly constrained the team’s ability to build around its younger core. By moving him now, the Hawks regain flexibility, positioning themselves to either generate substantial cap space this summer or pivot toward another major veteran acquisition.
For Washington, the calculus was far different. The Wizards entered the deal with significant cap flexibility and few long-term financial commitments. Taking on Young’s contract represented a manageable risk, especially given their need for structure and playmaking. With a roster built around recent high draft picks, Washington lacked a true floor general capable of organizing the offense and accelerating development.
Young’s arrival marks a notable shift for a franchise that has not reached the playoffs since 2021. Rather than continuing a prolonged rebuild, the Wizards are betting that a proven offensive catalyst can elevate their young talent and push the team back toward postseason relevance.
For both organizations, the deal represents a decisive reset — Atlanta turning the page on a star-driven era, and Washington making its clearest move yet toward competing again.