Trae Young and the Hawks collaborate on a trade before the deadline

The Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young are officially beginning discussions to arrange the departure of their star. According to ESPN, the 27-year-old point guard and his agents Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown are now collaborating with the franchise to find a solution before the February 5th deadline.

Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh has initiated positive and collaborative discussions with Young’s representatives over the past week. This move follows Atlanta’s decision not to offer a contract extension to their star player last summer.

Washington emerges as preferred destination

The Washington Wizards are now considered a « legitimate potential destination » for Young according to insider Marc Stein. A possible trade between the two Southeast Division franchises would be centered around CJ McCollum’s expiring contract, which would go from Washington to Atlanta.

This difficult season for Young, limited to just 10 games due to leg injuries, could accelerate his departure. The point guard is posting his lowest averages since his rookie season with 19.3 points and 8.9 assists, while shooting 30.5% from 3-point range.

Paradoxically, the Hawks perform better without their star: 15 wins and 12 losses in his absence, compared to only 2 wins and 8 losses with him on the court. The emergence of Jalen Johnson, averaging 24.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists, as well as Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s performances (20.7 points per game) facilitate this transition.

Young, the face of the franchise since 2018 and holder of the Hawks’ 3-point and assists records, remains under contract for $95 million over two seasons, with a player option in 2026-2027. For Washington, acquiring the All-Star point guard would represent a risky but potentially rewarding bet to climb out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, alongside young talents like Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly.