The Washington Wizards took a gamble when they traded for Trae Young, whose tenure with the Atlanta Hawks ended more briefly than anyone ever expected it to.
Young, a former top-five pick, at one point looked to be one of the best floor generals in the league, and his run to lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals single-handedly in 2021 made it clear he was worthy of being a franchise player.
However, Atlanta's decision to move on in the blink of an eye, for an extremely discounted price, made it feel like the guard's value was at an all-time low.
Mix that with the fact that the Wizards inked the playmaker to a massive contract extension, and some are already labeling it as an overpay after only 15 games total last season, five of which came in a Wizards jersey, but pressure is on for the Oklahoma product.
To put even more pressure on the guard's plate, the Hall of Fame prediction from general manager Will Dawkins gives Young no room for failure moving forward in Washington.
Will Dawkins labels Trae Young a future Hall of Famer
In a recent interview with Last Man Standing's Ben Standig (subscription), Wizards' GM Will Dawkins had high praise for his first big swing, suggesting that the star guard is only scratching the surface of what will be a Hall of Fame career.
"At the end of the day, Trae [Young] is going to be a Hall of Famer, and he's just entering his prime," Dawkins said.
"I just wanted to make sure that the world knows the player that we're getting, and he is gonna do his best to remind everybody...He is someone who elevates his teammates and performs at a high level. Where he ranks in terms of being able to score the ball, and pass the ball, it's elite company everywhere you look at it."
It was clear from the jump that the Wizards had high hopes for Young when they made the move to land the star guard. However, the 27-year-old's struggle at the start of last season offered some doubt around the league about whether or not he could still be the franchise point guard he was drafted to be out of college.
It's clear Washington's regime thinks that not only can he be that still, but he can be more and help lead the Wizards back to contention.
Between Young's new role, massive extension, and the bold take from Dawkins, the point guard has no room for error entering this next chapter of his career.
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