Trae Young has officially opted out of his $48.98 million player option with the Washington Wizards and will now become an unrestricted free agent, with free agency opening on June 30th.
Opting out of his player option with the Wizards this offseason was the expected path for the star guard all along, in hopes that the two sides could work towards a long-term extension that keeps the All-Star guard in D.C. for years to come at a lower annual salary.
At the same time, just because this was the expected path for Young to begin negotiating an extension to stay with the Wizards doesn't mean that it takes away the nightmare scenario that a team could try their hand at prying the playmaker away from Washington in free agency.
And with the outside interest in Young already starting to make waves courtesy of NBA Insider Jake Fischer's recent report, it feels like Washington has to at least prepare for the possibility that Young is pursued in free agency.
Trae Young expected to re-sign, but crazier things have happened
When Young requested the trade specifically to Washington, it was clear that the former top-five pick saw something in what general manager Will Dawkins was building in the DMV.
The young core of the Wizards alone intrigued Young, and that was before Washington earned the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which is all but expected to land them the top prospect available in AJ Dybantsa.
Not to mention, the Wizards made an aggressive deadline swing to bring future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis to Washington to form a superstar duo.
All that to say, Young has plenty of reasons to be interested in staying true to his word and sticking around in Washington long-term, but if an outside team does happen to pursue him, money talks, and so does the opportunity to contend right away.
The Miami Heat have already been linked to Young as a Plan B option if their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo falls short, and based on the Boston Celtics rumored interest in the Greek Freak, there's a growing possibility that happens.
According to ESPN Insider Marc Spears, Young is expected to receive max interest from other teams in free agency, but a return to Washington is the most likely outcome.
Wizards star Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026–27 season to become a FA on Monday, sources. Washington remains the front runner for the four-time NBA All-Star as he loves the team and DC, but he still expects multiple team max interest. pic.twitter.com/a3ONGQgVJK
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 18, 2026
The Wizards should make it a priority to get a deal done with Young as soon as possible to avoid any leverage situations or a nightmare scenario they don't want to deal with.
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