The Washington Wizards have been one of the worst teams in the NBA for the past five years, but it seems they have a little hope, as their young core is showing signs of progress. Now, there’s a bright light of hope from a place no one expected.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young wants to go to the Washington Wizards. Young recently asked for a trade, and Washington meets his criteria.
MORE: Hawks superstar Trae Young reveals massive update regarding preferred trade destination
“Trae Young has the Washington Wizards as his top preferred trade destination, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta is working to move Young, who has a $49 million player option in offseason that would make him an expiring contract; or opt out, leave and give Hawks significant cap space,” Charania tweeted.
This season, the Wizards are 10-25 and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. However, they’ve gone 6-4 in their last 10, further speaking to the fact that their young core is almost ready to break out.
So with Young in mind, they can trade for him and have him sit out the rest of the year, solidifying their tanking season. They then can grab a potential top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which is one of the best draft classes in a minute.
Finally, in the 2026-27 season, they’d have a fully healthy four-time All-Star in Trae Young, a young core ready to explode, and a top-three pick ready to make a run for Rookie of the Year. So, yeah, the Wizards may be back.
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