Sources: Hawks trade Trae Young to Wizards in first blockbuster deal of 2026

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Sources: Hawks trade Trae Young to Wizards in first blockbuster deal of 2026

Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jan 8, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Sources: Hawks trade Trae Young to Wizards in first blockbuster deal of 2026 appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Trae Young 's time with the Atlanta Hawks has come to an end. In what is the first blockbuster trade in 2026, the Hawks are sending Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert , league sources told ClutchPoints.

No draft picks are involved in this three-player trade sending the All-Star guard to Washington.

Young, 27, who has spent the first eight years of his career in Atlanta, will now embark on a new journey in the nation's capital amid rising tensions between him and the Hawks. Noise surrounding Young's eventual departure from the Hawks grew louder during the first week of the new year, with the franchise prioritizing their youthful core headlined by Jalen Johnson and Daniel Daniels.

The Wizards emerged as Young's desired landing spot in a deal before this season's trade deadline, and so the two teams engaged in advanced discussions on the format of a swap for the two veteran guards. Since the Wizards needed to add an additional $6.2 million to this trade to make it work financially, Kispert became the final piece of the deal.

Although Kispert has missed time this season due to a fractured right thumb, his 3-point shooting skills were heavily valued in trade talks by Atlanta, sources said. He joins the Hawks in the first year of a four-year, $54 million extension he signed with Washington in 2024.

In the offseason leading up to the 2025-26 season, Young, his representation, and the Hawks never came close to reaching an agreement on a long-term contract extension. Despite being the face of the franchise since being drafted fifth overall in 2018, the Hawks held no concerns about Young playing out the remainder of his contract.

While the failed negotiations did not sit well with Young and his camp, the All-Star guard entered the new year with the same mentality he always has: find ways to succeed on the court and win games.

Unfortunately for Young, he played in just five games before suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee seven minutes into a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 29. Initially, there was concern that Young had suffered a significant knee injury, but MRI results revealed no structural damage, and the team said he would miss a minimum of one month.

It was not until Dec. 18 against the Charlotte Hornets that Young returned to the floor, and he has since been battling a right quad contusion that has sidelined him for six straight games.

Overall, the Hawks have gone 2-8 in the 10 games Young has appeared in, compared to being 15-13 without the All-Star point guard this season. Additionally, Atlanta's defense has performed significantly better without Young on the court this season, surrendering an average of roughly nine fewer points per game based on advanced metrics.

Young and his camp had hoped that three straight seasons averaging double-digit assists and leading the league in this category during the 2024-25 season would result in a lucrative contract extension to keep him as the focal point in Atlanta, but the emergence of Daniels as the 2024-25 Most Improved Player and Johnson as a true All-Star candidate this season has shifted the Hawks' trajectory.

This organization also owns a swap for the most favorable draft pick between the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks in the 2026 NBA Draft, which could wind up being the first-overall pick. The Hawks are devoted to becoming younger and more dynamic on both ends of the court, which is why trading Young for a veteran like McCollum on an expiring contract offers immediate financial flexibility.

Between McCollum, Kristaps Porzingis , and Luke Kennard , the Hawks now have over $70 million in expiring salaries that instantly create opportunities for this organization to continue expanding their depth and overall potential in the summer.

Young, who owns a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season, now joins a young, rebuilding Wizards team where he will be the organization's top offensive option. He will be reunited with Wizards executive Travis Schlenk, who originally drafted Young in 2018 when he was Atlanta's head of basketball operations.

Schlenk joined Washington in 2023 as the team's VP of Player Personnel under president Michael Winger.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Young has averaged 25.1 points and 10.8 assists per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from 3-point range. He is the only player in the league to average at least 24 points and 10 assists over each of the last three seasons.

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