Hawks’ Trae Young reportedly has Wizards as his desired trade destination

The hubbub about Trae Young’s future with the Hawks takes a turn each day.

Young, the four-time All-Star guard, has played in just 10 games for the Hawks this season and after not getting a contract extension in the offseason, his days with the Hawks seem to be numbered.

According to a report Wednesday from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Young’s preferred destination in a potential trade would be the Washington Wizards. The Wizards are 10-25 this season with mostly young players on their roster, but adding a veteran guard could be what they need to help turn things around.

“Trae Young would give the Wizards a lead guard for the future,” Charania said on ESPN. “Clearly, they’ve been rebuilding, but they’ve got young players that he could build with, and there are relationships that Trae Young has throughout the Wizards organization — specifically, with their executive, Travis Schlenk, who drafted Young No. 5 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft."

Young has a player option for next season worth $49 million, and if he opts out, the Hawks would gain significant cap space; if he decides to opt in, he would become a valuable trade chip as an expiring contract.

A trade seems like a more likely ending to the saga.

“There is traction in these trade conversations and his eventual exit out of Atlanta,” Charania said.

So what does that look like for the Hawks?

According to reports, the Hawks may have to send draft capital to entice the Wizards to absorb Young’s contract.

In return, the Hawks could get a mixture of veteran talent on expiring deals, as well as young talent that would fit the timeline the team has in mind. Despite dismissing the external expectations, the team has always looked to compete, especially after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard.

The addition of veteran CJ McCollum would give the Hawks another capable ball-handler, as well as a consistent perimeter shooter. McCollum has been a solid defender for the Wizards this season, allowing less than 2.6 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court versus when he is off.