The only way the Wizards should get Treo Young in a blockbuster trade with the Hawks

Veteran point guard Trae Young’s days with the Atlanta Hawks are numbered, i Washington Wizards they can use that situation to help their rebuilding. However, they should only trade for the four-time All-Star if they don’t give up anything important in return.

NBA Insider Mark Stein published on Monday that the Wizards “emerged as a legitimate potential trade destination” for Young, with negotiations centered around the expiring contract of veteran guard CJ McCollum. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported at the time that Young and his camp work with Hawks in trade.

From Washington’s perspective, acquiring Young would be a higher-profile version of last year’s Markus Smart store. The Memphis Grizzlies sent a lottery-protected first-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for absorbing Smart’s unwanted salary, and the Wizards later turned that pick into the 6-foot-9 guard Will Riley from Illinois.

Much like in that trade, Washington wants compensation as payment to take on Young’s contract, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoint.

“However, the Wizards have signaled they are not interested in sacrificing any young assets in a trade for Young, league sources said,” he reported. “Incorporating young talent into a deal for Young is something the Hawks want, especially given Washington’s request that Atlanta include draft compensation.”

“The two teams recently discussed a trade for McCollum and Young, a deal that would immediately open up financial flexibility for the Hawks in the offseason,” he continued. “The Wizards have made it clear they’ll need additional draft value from the Hawks if they want to facilitate such a trade, leading to Atlanta’s rebuttal to include one of Washington’s recent draft picks.”

“This group of players that the Hawks have possibly discussed, and which both parties have not confirmed to ClutchPoints, likely includes Bilal Koulibaly, Keyshon George and Tre Johnson,” he continued.

The Wizards can only trade Tree Young as a salary dump

Washington has no reason to give Atlanta any of its key young players or first-round picks because it has all the power. The Hawks want out of Young’s contract, for what it’s worth $46 million this season and includes a $49 million player option for next season, per Spotrac. Meanwhile, the Wizards have the most payment limit space (according to Spotrac) to absorb the 27-year-old’s contract both this year and next, assuming he decides.

If Atlanta doesn’t accept that Young is a negative asset who is unlikely to produce anything of value in return, then Washington can simply walk away. Siegel reported that a trade between the two teams is “not imminent” at this time given the Wizards’ reluctance to part with a key asset.

However, the trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 5, and the Hawks could even wait until next year’s deadline to make a deal if Young decides. The question is how long do they want to wait?

Trading Young this season would immediately allow Atlanta to shed some salary cap space ahead of an offseason in which it owns the New Orleans Pelicans’ first-round pick, likely in the top 10. In that case, it could add another a star like Anthony Davis in addition to acquiring one of the top prospects in a loaded draft class. If they make a trade now, it would allow them to add that second star this season, possibly in a three-team deal with the Wizards and another team.

Additionally, the Hawks are 2-8 with Young (quadriceps) in the lineup and 15-13 without him. They’re better off relying on 24-year-old forward Jaylen Johnson, who is averaging 23.7 points on 52.1 percent shooting (36.7 percent from 3-point range) with 10.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 35.5 minutes.

Young is extremely talented, as he is averaging a career-high 25.2 points on 43.2 percent shooting (35.1 percent from 3-point range) with 9.8 assists in 34.3 minutes. But the former Oklahoma Sooner’s 6-foot-2 stature makes it difficult for him to contribute defensively, which isn’t ideal in today’s era that favors two-way players and size at the position.

That’s why it makes sense for Young to audition for a new contract in Washington for the next year and a half, as the team could temporarily live with his defensive shortcomings due to his ability to open up looks for teammates. Going forward, he could create open shots for Johnson, George, Koulibaly, Riley, center Alex Sarr, guard Bub Carrington and whoever the Wizards get with their top eight protected lottery picks this summer, which would help them develop.

Here’s a salary cap deal that makes sense for Washington when Atlanta finally breaks even:

Wizards get:

• Mr. Trae Young
• 2026 first round pick (rights swap for SAS, CLE, MIN or UTA)

Hawks get:

• Mr CJ McCollum
• F Corey Kispert

Adding Kispert’s $13.9 million salary to McCollum’s $30.6 million expiring salary makes the money work in this trade and would give Atlanta a reliable scorer off the bench moving forward. Kispert, 26, is averaging 10.9 points on 47.5 percent shooting (38.3 percent from 3-point range) in 25.5 career minutes and is under contract. Washington doesn’t need him long-term, so his loss wouldn’t be tragic.

Meanwhile, the Wizards would add another first-round pick to their war chest. In this scenario, they would enter the summer with their lottery pick, another likely first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, a first-round pick from this Young (which will likely be a Cleveland Cavaliers pick) and four second-rounders. That’s a big draft of capital to use for either more trading or adding leads.

Washington could also rest Young for an extended period late in the season if it is in danger of rising above the bottom four in the NBA standings, where it must finish to guarantee keeping its top protected pick. The pick will go to the New York Knicks if they fall out of the top eight due to a series of previous trades, including the last Wizards administration’s deal that sent John Wall to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook in 2020.

Washington’s financial flexibility allows for best-case scenarios like the above, but that depends on how much Atlanta wants to clean up its books.