The Atlanta Hawks have traded guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official.
Young was in his eighth season with the Hawks, but the signs that his tenure was coming to a close had become apparent in recent months. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers (1,295).
Young has only played in 10 games this season and did not play on Wednesday due to a quad injury. Reports of the trade emerged during the team’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and Young was seen being embraced by members of the organization.
The four-time NBA All-Star has averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game this season.
Entering Thursday’s game, the Hawks had an 18-21 record this season and were ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. When Young is not in the lineup, though, the Hawks have produced a 16-13 record.
The trade will keep Young in the Eastern Conference, joining the Wizards, who have a 10-26 record and are 14th out of 15 teams in the conference standings.
Trae Young trade grades
Wizards
Young helps provide an offensive spark to a team that’s struggled in recent seasons and has been missing a superstar-level player on the roster since Bradley Beal’s departure after the 2022-23 season.
Young is not known for his defensive ability and could be seen as a liability on that end of the floor. He also could be a free agent after the season, owning a player option for 2026-27.
Grade: B
Hawks
McCollum may not be the standout player he was during his days in Portland, but he will bring a veteran presence to the locker room in Atlanta, which is one of the younger teams in the NBA this season. On the court, he’s averaged 18.8 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 35 games played.
Kispert played the first five seasons of his career in Washington. After playing in 80 games during the 2023-24 season, he played just 61 last season and didn’t start a game. He started two of the 19 games he played in for the Wizards this season. He has averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists during his career. Kispert did not play on Tuesday due to a hamstring injury and McCollum also sat.
Grade: B
