After months of grueling speculation, Trae Young’s representatives finally found a new home for him. The Washington Wizards traded CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to acquire the 4x All-Star, as they are figuring out a rebuild. But Young’s $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season still has questions looming around it. The Athletic just shed some light on what that future might look like.

“While rival teams expect Young to pick up his player option, league sources say Young has not made a decision on that front at this point. He is open to the prospect of discussing an extension but is assessing the free agency landscape for this summer, as well.”

The Wizards are a team of young players who’ve shown signs of growth this season. That quickly became a realistic option for Young to pursue. Moving to Washington will help him rehabilitate “physically and reputationally.”

It was Marc Stein who previously called the Wizards a “legitimate potential trade destination” for Young. Even though the contract situation might be undecided, there is a sense of comfort.

Young’s relationship with the Wizards’ senior vice president of player personnel, Travis Schlenk, was a major factor in securing this trade. He was the former Hawks president of basketball operations who famously traded the third pick in the 2018 draft (Luka Doncic) to take Young with the fifth pick. Schlenk was crucial to building the Hawks team that reached the East finals in 2021.

Years later, Trae Young quickly saw himself becoming the villain in Atlanta as the franchise did not offer him a contract extension during the summer of the ongoing season.

Once he came back from the knee sprain in December, his reputation only took a further hit. The Hawks were 2-8 with Young as opposed to 16-13 without him this season.

Moreover, one rival scout bluntly said, “Trae is an extremely difficult player to win at the highest level with.” Now, the Wizards see this as an opportunity to build a roster that could complement his skill set, potentially.

Looking at the financials that made the Trae Young trade work

Young’s reputation took a major hit throughout this entire saga, and it showed as the former All-NBA player couldn’t even net a second-round pick, let alone a first. Fortunately for the Wizards, they were in dire need of a point guard who could get buckets consistently. This season, they are 27th in offensive efficiency.

By comparison, the Hawks’ offense with Young on the floor has ranked in the top 15 in every season since his second campaign in 2019-20, including the No. 1 offense in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Since McCollum and his expiring contract of $30.7 million were considered expendable, this move happened. The Wizards were projected to have about $80 million in cap space for the summer of 2026. So, even if Young now picks up his $49 million player option for 2026-27, it should not prevent them from making free-agent offers during the next offseason.

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Following this trade, the Wizards will move $30 million below the luxury tax line, with an open roster spot to pursue further moves. It remains to be seen how quickly they hash out contract negotiations with Young.