After eight seasons, four All-Star appearances, and one Eastern Conference Finals run, the Trae Young era in Atlanta is officially over. The Hawks came to terms on a deal with the Wizards on Wednesday night to ship Young out for a package based around CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania. Early reporting by Jake Fischer indicates that no draft picks are involved in the trade.
The Hawks' Eastern Conference Finals run back in 2021 was supposed to be the start of a successful era for Young. Instead, the Hawks hovered around mediocrity, going 221-272 in games that he played and failing to get out of the first round during his two subsequent playoff runs. The Play-In Tournament quickly became the Trae-In, where his Hawks have landed in each of the past four seasons.
Not all of that mediocrity is on Young, of course. But the Hawks were ready to turn the page. This is triple-double machine Jalen Johnson's team now, and Trae will get a fresh start on a rebuilding Wizards team in need of a point guard.
But did the Hawks get enough for their distressed star? Here's how both teams fared in the biggest deal of the NBA season thus far.
Trae Young-CJ McCollum trade details
Hawks receive:
- CJ McCollum
- Corey Kispert
Wizards receive:
- Trae Young
Hawks trade grade
This may seem like a paltry return for Young. Sure, he has substantial defensive limitations, but he's spearheaded some great offenses due to his brilliant passing. He led the league last year with 11.6 assists per game. He's never quite gotten the proper recognition for how great he is as a pick-and-roll facilitator.
Young's flaws did drive down his market, but the lack of interest throughout the league was also about both the depth at point guard and his contract situation. He's earning $46 million this year, with a player option for $49 million next season. And most teams already have their own franchise lead ballhandler to build around. There simply wasn't an appetite from most teams to take on that money.
The Hawks are glad to be off that deal. Young likely would have taken his $49 million player option for next season if he had not gotten an extension. With that off their books, they gain optionality to use cap space to add a mid-tier player next summer that fits better around Johnson.
Young's market was also driven down by his shooting decline. When he was one of the top scorers in the league, his defensive warts were easier to justify. He hasn't been the same from 3 in recent years, hitting just 30.5 percent of his attempts this season and 34 percent last season. His free throw attempts also took a dip as the rules were modified to remove some of his favorite foul-drawing maneuvers over the past few years.
Onto CJ McCollum, who is an expiring salary and still a useful player. His 3-point shooting, shot creation, and passing is badly needed from a Hawks team that is ranked 20th in halfcourt offense. McCollum isn't the guy he was 10 years ago, but he still has some gas left in the tank as a microwave scorer.
Kispert is another player who should help the Hawks score. He's a solid career 38 percent shooter from 3 and an underrated cutter who finishes well at the basket. Like McCollum, he doesn't defend his position well though. At age 26, that probably isn't changing. He's slightly overpaid on his deal given those limitations, but he can contribute for this team.
There's been speculation that the Young trade could be a precursor to a move for Anthony Davis. It's important to note that McCollum and Kispert's deals can't be combined in any outgoing trade for the rest of this season. That Davis deal would likely involve Kristaps Porzingis' expiring salary as a centerpiece, along with picks and prospects from the Hawks.
We will have to see what the Hawks do with their added flexibility before we judge this move fully. For now though, this looks like a trade that they felt like they had to make. It's worth debating whether they could have tried to recoup some of his value before trading him, but the Young era was clearly stalling out. This gives them a fresh chance at something bigger and better. Give them credit for making a tough decision, parting with their franchise star.
MORE: Trae Young trade details
Hawks grade: B
Wizards trade grade
The Wizards had a glaring need at point guard. They paid almost nothing to add Young, who I had as the no. 8 player in the league at that position during the preseason.
The cost for the Wizards was pretty low. At age 34 and on the last year of his deal, McCollum was never going to be a part of the team's long-term plans. Kispert is a nice role player but replaceable.
This also doesn't hurt the Wizards too much financially. They were projected to have over $80 million in cap space this summer per Spotrac's Keith Smith. Even with Young's added money, they still have room to be active in free agency.
Young will help the Wizards young players develop. Despite his offensive decline, he still does generate advantages at a prodigious rate. He will create open looks for everyone else.
Alex Sarr stands to benefit the most. Young is a great lob passer, and Sarr should have some easy finishes at the rim as a part of that new tandem.
In making this trade, the Wizards get a low-commitment look at Young. And he becomes another big expiring contract next season that they may be able to flip for positive value next year. It's not unrealistic to think that he can raise his value, given that he is only 27 years old and in one of the worst shooting slumps of his career.
There is some downside risk here for the Wizards. They owe the Knicks a top-eight protected pick in the upcoming draft and currently have the fourth-worst record in the league. If Young improves their team too much, then they could end up giving a juicy pick in the back end of the lottery to New York. They'd surely rather keep their pick, but that level of internal improvement wouldn't be the worst outcome in the world.
Wizards grade: B+
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