The NBA trade deadline never falls short of peak entertainment, especially when blockbuster trades are happening left and right.
Obviously, the major domino that has yet to fall is which team wins the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes; if any team at all is able to persuade the Milwaukee Bucks to pull the trigger on the franchise-altering deal ahead of Thursday's deadline.
And that's not even mentioning the potential deals that haven't even made headlines yet, including the recent report that star guard James Harden is seeking a trade away from the LA Clippers.
Nonetheless, the Washington Wizards are the team to originally kickoff trade season with their blockbuster trade to land four-time All-Star Trae Young in the first of many huge deals to be completed prior to the final buzzer on February 5th.
The move to land Young initially caught many by surprise, especially when the star playmaker listed the Wizards as his preferred landing spot when it was clear his time with the Atlanta Hawks was approaching an end.
Many wondered why a team like the Wizards would be in the market for an undersized guard like Young, who's been viewed as a high-upside offensive player with defensive inefficiencies.
However, when you look at the ridiculously cheap price the team had to pay it makes perfect since, especially with his age.
Now, the Utah Jazz's steep price paid for Jaren Jackson Jr. makes the Wizards move to land Young for the price they did look even better.
Wizards Trae Young move looks better by the day
The Jazz find themselves as yet another rebuilding team to make a blockbuster trade ahead of the deadline, but the price it cost them to net a 26-year-old entering his prime was several young players and 3 (!!!) first-round picks.
Meanwhile, the Wizards' managed to land a 27-year-old former All-Star guard at a glaring position of need for a total of ZERO draft picks and the expiring contract of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
The gap in draft return in its own right is what seperates this deal for the two sides, but the fact that Washington managed to select a high-upside prospect who's also in his prime for an insanenly discounted price compared to the ridiculously steep price Utah paid speaks volumes.
Sure, the two players fit different needs, but in terms of age, accolades and upside, the difference in cost speaks volumes.