When the news broke early this cold January, spirits could not have been lower in Atlanta.
Shipping off your long-time franchise cornerstone is already a bold move - but getting zero draft capital in exchange? Simply unheard of.
Despite everything, the Hawks seem to have completely shifted the narrative in the last six months since the exchange with the Wizards went down. While one team has some of the most spacious cap books in the league, the other looks to have walked itself into a treacherous situation.
Bleacher Report's latest ranking of worst contracts in the league supports the truth Hawks fans already knew - splitting ways with Trae was a heartbreaking yet absolutely correct choice from Onsi Saleh.
Young's extension could destroy Washington
Bleacher Report ranked Young as the 2nd-worst contract in the entire NBA, behind only Joel Embiid, boasting an unfavorable reputation as being consistently unavailable when his team needs him most.
While Embiid has begun to shift the narrative around - the cherry on top this year being the 3-1 comeback against the Celtics, ultimately resulting in stealing their co-star for pennies on the dollar - Young has a ways to go himself.
Trae will be earning $50M the next two seasons, $54M the next, and $58M in 2029-2030. While it coincides perfectly with the first overall pick - AJ Dybantsa - earning his likely lucrative extension after the 2029-2030 season, there's another problem looming for Washington.
Anthony Davis' asking price could ruin Washington's plans
AD is asking for a four-year, $275M extension with the Wizards. Paper can't be inked until August 6th at the earliest, giving Washington another month to sort their situation out, but time is running out.
Could the Wizards realistically support a cap table dominated by two $50M+ deals? Possibly - but it would severely limit their flexibility with other youngsters set for a contract extension, of which they have plenty.
Aside from AJ Dybantsa, the Wizards' young core is about to get very expensive, very quickly - Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Will Riley, Tre Johnson, and Bub Carrington all represent a looming cap-sheet catastrophe in The District.
While the Hawks' salary table is as free as a bird, Ice Trae's extension has completely frozen the Wizards' flexibility.
While Atlanta didn't get any picks back for their star (like the Hornets were able to gather for LaMelo), they received a far greater, far more coveted prize after all - ample room to negotiate extensions with the rest of their roster for years to come.
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