Seven months after Trae Young was salary-dumped to the Washington Wizards, they signed him to a four-year, $212 million extension. His value, apparently, changed just like that. In the end, he got the payday he never would've received from Atlanta, which is good for him, right? Of course, but when it comes to living up to said payday, that could be where things go south.
To be fair to Young, he's not the one who decided to sign him to that kind of deal (but he's glad it worked out that way!).
Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported that the Wizards believed the league's anti-tanking measures (subscription required) would lead the guard to "command maximum-salary contract offers from other franchises through either a straight free-agent signing or a sign-and-trade proposal."
We'll never know whether that would've actually happened (but let's be real), since the Wizards jumped on the opportunity to lock him down to a deal that will pay him slightly less than $50 million in 2026-27 and will end with a $58.4 million player option in 2029-30.
He'll be the 20th-highest-paid player in the league next season, which doesn't sound that bad, but when you look at the guards ahead of him (except Devin Booker, who will make $57 million), they are all stars on a contender. Washington isn't at that level.
The Wizards overpaid Trae Young
Washington had the second-worst offense in the league last season, but that will almost certainly change in 2026-27 with Young leading the way, at least. But can he help vault them into the top 15? What about the top 10? That's a lot less certain, but based on the way they're paying him, they'll need to make a significant jump, even more so since his value doesn't lie within what he gives on the defensive end.
You may be thinking that expecting the Wizards to go from one of the worst offenses (and teams) in the league to one of the best is way too lofty a goal, and you'd be right, but that brings us back to wondering why they gave Young the contract they did in the first place. They're paying him as if they know he'll lead them out of the dark immediately — and they don't.
He was available for the price they paid for him in January because demand was low for smaller guards who can't keep up on defense. And then, on top of that, there's Young's shooting. In his last full season with the Hawks, he shot 41.1% from the field (career-high 46%) and 34% from three (career-high 38.2%).
It's not that the Wizards are setting Young up to fail, as regardless, he's going to get his money, but if they're expecting him to live up to his contract (which they are, because why else pay him that much), they're going to be disappointed. Washington can't be mad at him for that, as the front office can only point the finger at itself.
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