The Trae Young-Washington trade of January 2026 was one that fully pushed Atlanta into a new era of Hawks basketball. Young, who identified Washington as an ideal landing spot once trade talks begun, may already have an uncertain future with his new organization.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, despite the league-wide expectation being Young signing an extension with the Wizards, several teams "are considering trade avenues to add the four-time All-Star guard, while Washington mulls its decision regarding next week’s No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft."
This surprising report comes shortly after it was revealed that Kansas guard Darryn Peterson - and his camp - are confident that he'll be selected by Washington with the first pick.
It wouldn't make sense to extend Young after drafting Peterson
They're just one year removed from selecting Tre Johnson with the sixth-overall pick. Johnson, another guard, earned his role in the starting lineup with an impressive rookie season. He and Young, in their limited minutes together, appeared to be an excellent backcourt pairing moving forward.
If they do ultimately land on Peterson with this year's first-overall pick, however, there would be no excuse for him to come off the bench. Of course, Young wouldn't get sent to the bench, meaning Johnson would be the odd man out.
Peterson and Johnson would both be perceived as crucial long-term pieces, as they continue to build around their young core. Maybe they jumped the gun on the Young and Anthony Davis trades, as they would be silly to restrict the development of their exciting young group.
Of course, they didn't know they would land the top pick. A lottery leap can be both a gift and a curse, and the Wizards are experiencing it to the fullest right now.
Young's future will ultimately depend on the upcoming draft
The most likely scenario is that they just select BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and call it a day. Selecting Dybantsa would come with its own complications, as well, but it wouldn't put Young's potential extension in jeopardy.
It would, however, mean they would need to reshape their frontcourt a little bit. Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley is a crowded group, and Dybantsa would almost certainly be prioritized over each of them.
Clearly, it's going to be a big summer of moves for the Washington Wizards. Hawks fans can sit back and watch it all unfold, and wish nothing but the best for Trae Young as he deals with the uncertainty of his new situation.
Hopefully, they just give him an extension, as his buy-in to the organization deserves reciprocation.
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