Trae Young is headed to the DMV! … But why?
According to sources who spoke with ESPN, the Atlanta Hawks have agreed to send four-time All-Star guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veteran guard CJ McCollum and wing player Corey Kispert.
This deal brings an end to Young’s more than seven-season run as the centerpiece of the Hawks organization, relocating the 27-year-old star to his top-choice location in Washington, D.C., where he’ll take over as the primary point guard for the Wizards. (RELATED: Warriors’ Steve Kerr Has Grade-A Crashout In Scene That Was Made Golden By … Snoop Dogg?)
Key figures in the Wizards‘ front office, president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, have been seeking a veteran presence to guide their emerging group of young players, viewing this acquisition as an advancement in the team’s ongoing rebuilding efforts.
Additionally, the move brings Young back together with Wizards executive Travis Schlenk, the former Hawks decision-maker who selected him fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
BREAKING: The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time NBA All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WIf8rhrRFu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026
I get Trae Young has a relationship with Travis Schlenk and all that, but it still makes zero sense why he wants to be on a 10-26 Wizards team in the middle of a rebuild. I want to know what it was that made him want to be a rebuilding centerpiece while in the prime of his career, and doing so after just leaving another rebuilding franchise.
None of this makes sense to me whatsoever.
