Trae Young Rumors on Being Seen as 'Negative Asset' in NBA Before Wizards-Hawks Trade
If the Atlanta Hawks' return for trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards seemed light given his resume as a four-time All-Star, there is a clear reason he didn't bring back a significant haul.
On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 8:45 mark), ESPN's Vincent Goodwill explained that Young is viewed as a "negative asset" from people within the NBA.
The Hawks-Wizards deal was a player-for-player move, with Atlanta receiving Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum's expiring contract and Young going to Washington.
Speaking to ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, one Eastern Conference executive described the trade as "essentially a three-way deal" because the Wizards originally acquired McCollum from the New Orleans Pelicans during the offseason.
"If that had all happened in the summer in one move, there may have been some more questions for Atlanta. But the way this season has played out and with how terrific Jalen [Johnson] has played as a creator, it makes more sense now," the executive said.
Windhorst and Bontemps added that people around the league dinged Young's value because of his contract, his lack of defensive ability and the wealth of starting-caliber point guards around the NBA right now.
"Offense is so easy now," a Western Conference executive said. "One of the worst teams in the league can still easily put up 115 points in a game. ... It's hard for these small point guards to have real value with how the game is played now."
An Eastern Conference scout told Windhorst and Bontemps that they understand why Washington did this deal as a "value proposition," but it's not necessarily in the best long-term interest of the franchise to add a player who could make the club better this season.
"But if I'm the Wizards, just keep being bad, and stuff will figure itself out. I'm not sure why they felt the need to do this," the scout explained.
In the apron era, where teams are keeping a closer eye on the money they spend and players who are being paid top-of-the-market deals, Young's contract with a $46.4 million salary this season and $49 million player option for 2026-27 is tough to justify.
Among the 171 players who average at least 20 minutes per game this season, Young has the worst individual defensive rating in the NBA at 126.2.
The Hawks are 2-8 in the 10 games Young has played. They are 16-13 in 29 games without him.
Washington can afford to see what Young has to offer because it had to spend to reach the salary floor next season, and the Wizards still project to have between $40-50 million in cap space going into the summer even if Young picks up his option.
Young's numbers are down this season with 19.3 points on 41.5 percent shooting and 8.9 assists per game, though he has only made 10 starts due to injuries. He is on pace for his lowest scoring and assist averages since his rookie year in 2018-19.
