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The NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline is 30 days away, but the first significant deal could be just around the corner.
The Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young‘s representatives are working together to find a trade for the four-time All-Star point guard, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday. A move would end a memorable seven-plus year run with the franchise that selected Young No. 5 following a memorable 2018 draft-night deal that featured Luka Doncic heading to the Dallas Mavericks.
Young led the Hawks to Game 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, to a surprise run to the 2024 NBA Cup semifinals and has paced the league in total assists on three separate occasions. At 27, Young is already the Hawks’ all-time leader in assists and 3-pointers.
As trade talks seem to be ramping up in Atlanta, our NBA insiders are examining all sides of the situation — including why the Hawks might have trouble finding a market for Young, and four proposals Atlanta could consider.
How Young and the Hawks got here
This summer, newly installed general manager Onsi Saleh upgraded Atlanta’s roster, acquiring 3-and-D guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and stretch-5 Kristaps Porzingis in a trade with the Boston Celtics. (Saleh also landed one of the best assets in the league — a 2026 unprotected first-round pick from either the New Orleans Pelicans or Milwaukee Bucks — in a draft-night deal with New Orleans in June.)
Heightened expectations followed for both Young and the long, athletic roster surrounding him. Atlanta was projected to compete for a top-4 seed in the East. But the Hawks have gone 2-8 in the 10 games Young has played this season, unable to withstand his defensive shortcomings.
Atlanta’s defensive rating, 17th in the NBA at 115.5 points per 100 possessions, balloons to 126.2 with Young on the court — nearly five points worse than the bottom-ranked Utah Jazz defense.
There were plenty of signs that a Young trade could be coming in the next 12 to 18 months. The front office decided not to extend the guard’s contract this summer and gave defensive stalwart Dyson Daniels a four-year, $100 million extension. And with the emergence of forward Jalen Johnson coinciding with Young’s injury absence, the franchise got a long look at a roster led by a different All Star-caliber player. — Tim Bontemps
What is the market for Young? Why could finding a trade partner be so difficult?
There simply isn’t a great need for point guard play. Across the league, the two deepest positions are point guards and centers, so teams trying to move either position will struggle to get back full value.
Young’s contract is another hindrance for Atlanta, as he is owed $46 million this season with a $49 million player option for 2026-27. The salary cap’s apron restrictions will make it difficult for teams to take on that number.
Not many potential suitors fit both criteria, which is why this situation has been hovering in the background for the past several weeks. But the Washington Wizards are on that short list, with massive expiring contracts for veterans Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum that could be included in a Young deal. Washington also lacks a long-term solution at point guard. (And Travis Schlenk, current Wizards vice president of player personnel, drafted Young in 2018.) — Bontemps
Four Trae proposals
Wizards get:
Trae Young
2031 second-round pick (via better of Hawks and Rockets)
Hawks get:
Malaki Branham
AJ Johnson
CJ McCollum
2026 first-round pick (via worst of Clippers, Rockets and Thunder)
Here’s the simplest framework of a Wizards deal built around McCollum and Young. Such a deal probably would require a 3-for-1 swap, given the difference between Young’s $46 million salary and the $30.7 million McCollum is making in the final season of his contract. Branham and Johnson have been at the fringes of the Wizards’ rotation, playing a combined 246 minutes this season, and only Johnson ($3.2 million) is under contract for 2026-27.
Taking Young’s salary off the Hawks’ books would give them massive flexibility for 2026-27 and beyond, while McCollum would fill the team’s most important need the rest of this season — playmaking when neither Young nor Jalen Johnson is on the court. For the Wizards, this is a low-cost bet on a talented player who should be in his prime. — Kevin Pelton
Wizards get:
Trae Young
2026 second-round pick (via Hornets, top-55 protected)
Hawks get:
Malaki Branham
Devin Carter
AJ Johnson
Malik Monk
Dario Saric
2026 first-round pick (via worst of Clippers, Rockets and Thunder)
Kings get:
CJ McCollum
Alternatively, Atlanta could try to find a longer-term option off the bench at guard. Monk is 27 and only two seasons removed from finishing runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year. But he has fallen out of favor as part of a Sacramento backcourt logjam. The Kings would surely be thrilled to get out of the remaining two years and $42 million left on his contract as they embark on what looks like a rebuild.
Even with Monk and Johnson under contract for 2026-27, the Hawks would still have ample ability to use exceptions this offseason. And having Monk under contract might help facilitate matching salary if Atlanta makes a run at a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade over the summer. — Pelton
Bucks get:
Trae Young
Hawks get:
Kyle Kuzma
Bobby Portis
Gary Harris
2031 first-round pick
The Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing didn’t work out for Milwaukee, but maybe a different small, offense-oriented lead guard will mesh better with the two-time MVP. The Bucks are a potential Young suitor because they’re desperate to continue adding around Antetokounmpo, rather than trading him, and they have the big role player salaries to match.
This deal wouldn’t help Atlanta much in the present, except to bolster a shallow frontcourt. But the key piece in this potential return for Young — and for taking on the remaining years of Kuzma’s and Portis’s deals — is Milwaukee’s lone tradeable first-round pick, which could be extremely lucrative. In the 2030-31 season, Antetokounmpo will be 36. — Zach Kram
Trail Blazers get:
Trae Young
Hawks get:
Jerami Grant
Robert Williams III
Portland is flying under the radar as a team in serious need of a point guard: The Trail Blazers are suffering from a dearth of playmaking talent with Lillard out for the season, Jrue Holiday out since mid-November, Shaedon Sharpe still suffering growing pains and 21-year-old Scoot Henderson both unproven at the NBA level and absent because of a hamstring injury with no clear timetable for a return. Entering Monday night, Deni Avdija was the only Blazer with at least 100 assists this season.
Young would provide an immediate boost to the Trail Blazers’ 24th-ranked offense, and at least in theory, Portland has the perimeter and interior defenders to cover for him on the defensive end — even if that formula hasn’t panned out in Atlanta.
Grant, out since mid-December because of Achilles tendinitis, would improve Atlanta’s forward rotation. The veteran forward is averaging 20 points on 60% true shooting as part of a solid bounce-back season. The one complication is Grant’s salary, which is smaller than Young’s but extends for an extra year: Grant is owed $34.2 million in 2026-27 with a $36.4 million player option for 2027-28. — Kram
Bobby Marks’ best deal: Mr. Young goes to Washington
Atlanta should consider this checklist when exploring Young trades:
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The Hawks should prioritize a deal that does not require taking back significant money for next season. Removing Young’s $49 million salary for 2026-27 allows Atlanta to operate as a team under the cap in the offseason.
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Atlanta should pursue a deal that also nets the roster a starting-caliber point guard or one who will play rotational minutes off the bench.
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Adding draft capital, either in June or in future years, is a major plus.
The Wizards’ trade for McCollum, Branham, AJ Johnson and probably Oklahoma City’s 2026 first-round pick accomplishes all three.
Adding McCollum not only helps financially but gives coach Quin Snyder options with his starting lineup. McCollum has started 89% of his games since the 2013-14 season.
One question not answered: Will Atlanta have to incentivize Washington with a first-round pick of its own to take back Young’s massive salary for next season? Even if the answer eventually turns out to be yes, this Wizards trade would still top the other three options.
On the Wizards side, they are taking the approach of parlaying cap space for next season into an established player now. While the goal remains retaining their first-rounder this season — the pick will go to the New York Knicks if it lands outside the top eight — there is a priority to contend for at least a play-in spot in the near future.