The Atlanta Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Contrary to previous reporting, the Hawks did not have to yield a first round pick to move on from their star.
Atlanta reportedly had never considered a Young trade until this season, after contract negotiations broke down between the franchise and its star. After months of dormancy on the market, likely due to Young’s knee injury and the Hawks’ overall woes.
Rumors finally picked up steam on Monday (January 5th), when two reports came out within minutes of each other. First, Marc Stein reported that the Wizards were indeed interested in Young.
Shams Charania followed this report with the news that Young and his agents were working with the team on a trade. While this could mean a plethora of things, the collaborative effort was likely to ensure whoever traded for Young could hammer out terms to a contract extension before being traded.
Reports died down on Tuesday, with the only significant report being when Michael Scotto reported the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Bucks were monitoring Young’s availability.
On Wednesday, the deal seemed good as done. Young, McCollum, and Kispert were all ruled out of their respective games, and Young’s preferred destination was revealed to be the Wizards. The world held its breath as the two GMs hammered out the final details of the trades and as PR departments put together their welcome graphics.
McCollum and Kispert are a perfect fit for the team Onsi Saleh is building
McCollum is just what the Hawks needed, although not on the court. The Hawks are a surprisingly inexperienced team, ranking third-youngest in the league, according to coach Quin Snyder. McCollum will bring veteran leadership at 34, with 13 years of NBA service. He is in the final year of his contract, meaning the Hawks will not be burdened by his excessive $30.6 million deal beyond this year. Ideally, Atlanta can re-sign the veteran for a reasonable extension (perhaps $7-15 million annually over a short-term deal).
Kispert is in his prime and will be a dangerous addition to the Hawks’ young core. He is shooting the lights out this season, posting a scorching 39.5% from deep and 67.4% from two. While his defense is not the strongest, Atlanta can now afford such a player, as it has no defensive liabilities in its rotation without Young (aside from Luke Kennard, who should be replaced by Kispert in the lineup).
We will keep you posted on how the team develops with McCollum and Kispert. For today, however, it is time for Hawks fans to grieve, as the Trae Young-era is officially over.