In the first blockbuster trade of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks traded four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert, according to multiple sources on January 7.
The deal, first reported by ESPN correspondent and NBA insider Shams Charania, marks the end of Young’s seven-and-a-half season tenure in Atlanta, where he established himself as a franchise cornerstone after being selected fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. No draft picks or other incentives were involved in the transaction.
Young now reunites with Wizards executive Travis Schlenk, the former Hawks general manager who orchestrated the draft-night trade that swapped Atlanta’s original pick of Luka Dončić to the Dallas Mavericks for Young.
For the Wizards, their rebuild strategy is shifting, looking to rely on Young’s playmaking to benefit up-and-coming players on Washington’s roster like Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and Alexander Sarr.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton considers the trade a value move, viewing it to offload the 34-year-old McCollum’s expiring contract for a 27-year-old Young, who is likely nearing his prime. Additionally, the Wizards are effectively out of playoff contention, so the trade was also seen as an opportunity to assess team chemistry before the offseason.
Young has only appeared in 10 games so far this season due to a right MCL sprain, with Atlanta posting a 2-8 record in contests where he is playing, compared to 16-12 without him, suggesting that the Hawks played worse and had less chemistry with him off the bench.
For the Hawks, who stand at 18-21, it has been viewed as a beneficial unload, using the expiring contract of McCollum and the veteran scoring of Kispert to help build a roster focused on emerging talents like Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okong, all young draft picks who can help Atlanta build a solid playoff team.
The trade occurred in the middle of an Atlanta game at home versus the New Orleans Pelicans. Young, who was in street clothes, left the arena near the end of the fourth quarter, high fiving some fans before leaving for the locker room.
