As NBA insider Marc Stein previously reported, the Washington Wizards are the top suitor for Trae Young. Stein's counterpart, Jake Fischer, wrote on Wednesday that if a trade happens, he could see the Wizards offering the guard an extension (subscription required) in hopes of avoiding the scenario where he'd pick up his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
Washington has the cap space to absorb Young's salary, even if he picks up his option. The front office should push for additional draft capital from Atlanta to prepare for the possibility that he will do that.
As Fischer noted, though, the Wizards could try to get him to sign a long-term deal with a "more manageable" annual value. He added that league personnel he's spoken to believe that a new contract for Young would have to be more than $100 million.
This is just an assumption, but you could say that Young probably doesn't want to be with the Wizards for long if a trade does happen. Fischer said the guard's top two destinations are believed to be the Timberwolves and the Nets. However, on Wednesday afternoon, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the guard's top preferred destination is the Wizards.
Just in on NBA Today -- Atlanta Hawks four-time All-Star Trae Young has the Washington Wizards as his top desired destination: pic.twitter.com/lpMEftC4vv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 7, 2026
Would Trae Young be willing to sign an extension with the Wizards?
Young is in a bit of a tricky spot, as if he declined his option over the offseason to become an unrestricted free agent, he wouldn't get a deal worth $49 million annually. Perhaps that alone would be enough for him to think about extending with Washington. That might be why he is open to going to D.C.
Unlike the Hawks, the Wizards aren't in a position where Young picking up his option would throw off their plans. Atlanta is linked to Anthony Davis, and before trading for him, the front office would want to find a new home for Young so that it wouldn't have an absurd amount of money on the books for both of them.
The reason that Washington is interested in Young in the first place is that it has the available cap space (and the market isn't strong for point guards). The Wizards would love additional draft compensation as they continue their rebuild, and trading for the 27-year-old would result in picks heading to D.C.
It could be a win for Washington in more ways than one, and it could turn into a win for Young, too, if, like Michael Porter Jr. in Brooklyn, he made himself more attractive as a trade option than he is now while on a better contract. The Wizards could then turn around and get more picks by trading him.
A trade hasn't even happened yet, so we can't get too far ahead of ourselves, but this is how the situation could end up shaking out.