Trae Young staying in Washington for too long isn’t a sure thing.
The former Hawks guard has declined his $48.97 million player option to become a free agent, according to Andscape’s Marc Spears. It cannot be officially announced until Monday.
Washington is still seen as the leader to sign the point guard even as multiple teams are expected to show interest, according to ESPN. Young expected max-contract interest from his suitors, Spears reported.
Young is most notably known for his time with the Hawks, the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2018. The guard spent eight years with the franchise and led the Hawks during three playoff runs.
The furthest the team went was the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, where they eventually lost to the championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks. Young became a Madison Square Garden villians during that run as the Hawks needed just five games to beat the Knicks in the first round.
In the 2024-2025 season, Young led the NBA, averaging 11.6 assists per game. But that season was his last full one in Atlanta. When the 2025 season came around, the guard sprained his right MCL in the fall and missed 22 games.
He averaged only 19.3 points per game, his second-lowest mark other than his rookie season. That led to the Hawks trading him to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. He played just five games for Washington because of injuries.
The deal worked out for both teams: Washington grabbed a star player to help in their rebuild, while the Hawks still made the playoffs before losing to the Knicks in the first round.
Trae Young on the Wizards. NBAE via Getty Images
But now Washington has no guarantee of keeping Young. The Wizards also have another aging star in Anthony Davis, which could lead to a quick rebuild with Washington owning the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Wizrds could land a star like BYU forward AJ Dybansta or Kansas wing Darryn Peterson to join other promising youngsters, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson.
Free agency negotiations in the NBA begin on June 30.
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