Trae Young’s 7 ½-year run in Atlanta is over. On Wednesday, the Hawks agreed to a deal that will send Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, a source confirms to Sports Illustrated. Let’s go inside the trade.
Why Atlanta made the deal
The Hawks effectively decided the Young era was ending last offseason, when they declined to offer the four-time All-Star a contract extension. The door wasn’t completely shut on a new deal but privately Atlanta was clear it wanted to see how Young fit with a retooled roster before locking him in long term. While Young has been plagued by injuries this season, the results aren’t good. The Hawks are 2–8 in games Young played in this season. It’s a small sample size—and it must be noted that Young shared the floor with Kristaps Porziņģis, a 7' 2" rim protector, for just 51 minutes this season, per NBA.com—but Atlanta’s defensive rating was 15 points better with Young off the floor than on it.
The Hawks clearly believe the future is with a plus-sized backcourt. When Young missed 22 games with a knee injury, Atlanta went 13–9. The backcourt of Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker improved the defense—the Hawks were 13th in the NBA in defensive efficiency during that stretch—while Johnson took over the role of primary playmaker.
McCollum is a durable, plug-and-play combo guard shooting nearly 40% from three-point range while the Hawks are reportedly intrigued by Kispert, a former first-round pick and career 38.3% three-point shooter. Both should immediately upgrade a team that is middle of the pack in offensive rating.
But Atlanta isn’t done. The Hawks now have a pair of significant expiring contracts in Porziņģis ($30.7 million) and McCollum ($30.7 million) and draft capital to deal (at least a few rival executives were stunned that Atlanta didn’t need to add a first-round pick as a sweetener). Dallas’s Anthony Davis has been on the Hawks’ radar for weeks, and with some financial clarity expect Atlanta to ramp up those talks leading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Why Washington made the deal
There are short- and long-term viewpoints for the Wizards. Short term, Washington needs … something. The Wizards are barreling toward an eighth straight losing season. Capital One Arena has the energy of a tax seminar. And while Washington has some solid young talent, it doesn’t have any stars. Young, for all his defensive warts, is a bona fide star, a 20-plus per game scorer who led the NBA in assists last season. Unleashed, Young will inject some life into a franchise desperately in need of it.
Remember, Young has fans in Washington’s front office. Travis Schlenk, a Wizards exec, acquired Young in a draft day deal in 2018. Will Dawkins, the general manager, was in Oklahoma working for the Thunder when Young played his lone college season at Oklahoma. Young is a prodigious offensive talent. And at 27, he has a lot of basketball ahead of him.
Financially, Young’s contract makes sense, too. Washington is projected to have around $80 million in cap space next summer. That’s great … if it had anyone to spend it on. To meet the NBA’s salary cap floor, the Wizards would have had to get creative. Assuming Young opts into his $49 million player option this summer—and it would be very surprising if he didn’t—the trade allows the team to kick any big financial decisions down the road. That will also give decision-makers more time to evaluate Young’s fit with a developing, er, young core.
The risk is Young makes Washington too good. At least this season. Washington’s pick is top-eight protected. If the Wizards’ pick lands outside of the top eight, it transfers to New York. Currently, Washington has the fourth-worst record in the NBA. But even before the trade, Washington (5–3 in its last eight games) was playing better.
Young could help build on that … if he plays. Young has missed six straight games with a quad contusion and he missed 22 earlier in the season with a sprained knee. It wouldn’t be surprising to anyone if the Wizards, who will be determined to keep that pick, slow play a Young return and find a creative way to sideline him down the stretch. As fascinated as Washington is with Young, the pick means a whole lot more.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What the Trae Young Trade Says About the Hawks’ Future.
