The Washington Wizards bought low on Trae Young, but the trade looks worse after AJ Dybantsa proved he needs to have the ball in his Las Vegas Summer League debut. The number one overall pick was attacking off the dribble, getting easy buckets, making plays, and showing why he should be Washington’s number one option immediately. Dybantsa wants to win and is going to make the right plays. Fans know Young needs the ball, but the Wizards shouldn’t be taking it out of Dybantsa’s hands.
Young signed a four-year, $212.8 million extension this offseason that many have questioned. The four-time All-Star is a ball-dominant player. He has averaged over ten assists per game in three of the last four years, and was top five in time of possession in three straight years from 2023 to 2025. Young loves to dissect the defense and create, but he must give up the ball to maximize the number one pick.
That never happened in Atlanta. Hawks fans have wanted to see Young incorporate more off-ball actions to free him up for easy jumpers for years. It never happened. There is only one ball. The Wizards committed to Trae Young, but AJ Dybantsa could become a true alpha that puts Washington into title contention. The rookie needs the ball, and Young won’t be giving it up.
Wizards’ Trae Young trade keeps getting worse
The Hawks traded Young for an absolute bargain. Here is a look at the specifics of the January deal below.
Wizards received: Trae Young
Hawks received: CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert
Atlanta didn’t want to extend Young, so they moved on. They took back a sharpshooting role player and McCollum’s expiring contract. Nobody expected McCollum to play as well as he did in the playoffs. This trade was all about dumping Young and making Jalen Johnson the face of Atlanta's franchise.
Young isn’t a $50-plus million per year player. He is a star, but Ice Trae hasn’t led his team to the playoffs since 2023. The undersized guard is an elite creator, but his defense is a problem. Washington fans will quickly find out and will be even more frustrated because Dybantsa should be the star.
The number one overall pick had 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in his summer league debut. Dybantsa got to the line eight times, but the NBA is using a rule where the player only shoots one foul shot in every necessary situation. The rookie would have had 15 free throw attempts in an NBA game. He missed all five of his 3-pointers, but everything else was impressive.
He carved up Utah’s summer league defense, and this was no fluke. Dybantsa led the NCAA with 25.5 points per game. He is elite attacking downhill and drawing fouls. The Wizards should want him taking over and expanding his already impressive offensive game.
Young and Dybantsa will have to learn to co-exist, but fans should be frustrated if the All-Star is limiting the number one pick’s development. The rookie mentioned he liked when everyone was getting fed after the summer league win over the Jazz. He wants to get his teammates involved, which could be a problem if Young is dominating the ball.
The Washington Wizards trade for Trae Young keeps looking worse. AJ Dybantsa immediately proved he should be the franchise’s go-to scorer and have the ball in his hands. That won’t be the case with Ice Trae on the floor. This is a problem Washington could have avoided if they just stayed away from the All-Star point guard like everyone else.
The Wizards will quickly regret the trade and Young’s extension. It will be even worse when it is stunting the development of Dybantsa.
Add us as a preferred source on Google