What must the Wizards do next after the massive trade of Tree Young

The Washington Wizards have made a habit of absorbing unwanted contracts in exchange for draft capital and/or rookie players since general manager Will Dawkins and president Michael Winger took over in the 2023 offseason, but they reversed course with Trade Tree Young on Wednesday. This time they sent CJ McCollum’s expiring salary and Corey Kispert’s friendly contract with the Atlanta Hawks exclusive to Young, who is making $46 million this season and has a $49 million player option for next year.

This is because The Wizards see Young as a potential long-term partnerso they took a calculated risk to land their first star since Bradley Beal averaged 23.2 points in 50 games for them in 2022-23. Dawkins and company traded the latter to the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 2023 to begin their rebuild, starting a chain of moves that led to them getting the Young.

Now, Washington has a little more than three weeks to extract even more capital from teams looking to shed negative contracts. The The NBA trade deadline is February 5thand the organization is keeping its options open, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

“Regarding the trade deadline, the Wizards are open to helping facilitate a trade for a draft asset,” Siegel reported Monday.
“The Wizards would have no problem trading Khris Middleton or Malachi Branham, and Marvin Bagley III could generate interest as a productive secondary big man on a minimum contract.”

The Wizards already have their top eight protected first-round picks for 2026, which will be owned by the New York Knicks until the Wizards pick the top eight in the May lottery. Washington will guarantee that outcome if they finish in the bottom four of the NBA standings, and are currently fourth-worst at 10-28 with 44 games remaining.

The organization also has what will likely be the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round pick, a swapping picks in the first round with the Suns, and four second rounds this summer, per RealGM. The Phoenix trade likely won’t be used as the Suns are sixth in the Western Conference at 24-15, but it will give the Wizards two chances to make a top-three finish if the Suns miss the playoffs. BIU’s AJ Dibantsa, Kansas’ Darrin Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer could be franchise cornerstones for Washington, so the higher odds of landing one of them is the ideal scenario.

Even with Young’s $46 million salary now on the books, the Wizards still have the financial leverage to land a second-team first-rounder in 2026, which would guarantee another shot at a top-three selection if that team misses the postseason. If he ended up as a non-lottery pick, it would still give Washington another asset to use in a potential trade down the line.

The Toronto Raptors are the perfect trade partners for this arrangement.

The Wizards should pick up Immanuel Quickley’s contract for the draft

Toronto has perhaps the worst contract in the NBA: Immanuel Quickley’s five-year, $162.5 million deal. The 26-year-old is in the second year of his contract and will make $32.5 million each season from now until 2029.

Quickley, a 6-foot-2 guard, is averaging 16.5 points on 42.3 percent shooting (35.3 percent from 3-point range) with 4.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 32.5 minutes this season. The former Kentucky Wildcat could be valuable outfield depth for a championship-caliber team, but his production isn’t worth his contract.

That’s why the Raptors want to move Quickley in hopes of landing a star alongside Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram, according to Siegel.

“Prior to his hand injury, Anthony Davis was a player the Raptors were in internal scouting discussions with. Domantas Sabonis, Ja Morant and Trey Murphy III were other options the organization was also considering, sources said,” he reported.
“The Raptors are operating as buyers right now, and the organization appears more willing than ever to move starting point guard Immanuel Quickley.”

“Jamal Sheed has emerged as a key back in head coach Darko Rajakovic’s rotation, and Quickley’s cap hit would be key to a key upgrade for this franchise at the trade deadline,” he continued. “Early indications regarding the Raptors also suggest that they would be open to moving their first-round pick in this year’s draft and for an established talent to win.”

That “established talent to win now” won’t come from Washington, but the Memphis Grizzlies could send Morant to Toronto as part of a three-team trade. The two-time All-Star is no longer happy in Memphis and “things are trending” toward shipping him, via Siegel. However, the Grizzlies won’t let him go without receiving draft capital and young talent in return.

Here’s a deal that makes sense for each party:

Wizards get:

• G Immanuel Quickley (via Raptors)
• 2026 first round pick (via Raptors)
• 2028 first round pick (via Raptors)

Grizzlies get:

• F Chris Middleton (VIA WAZARDS)
• G Grady Dick (via Raptors)
• G AJ Johnson (via Wizards)

The Raptors get:

• G Ja Morant (via Grizzly)

Sending Middleton’s $32.2 million expiring salary to Memphis helps make money work in this trade, according to FanSpo’s NBA Trade Machine. Meanwhile, the Wizards acquired two first-round picks from the Raptors as payment for absorbing Quickley’s deal, which allows the latter team to acquire a superior player in Morant, despite previous suspensions and injuries. Finally, the Grizzlies get Dick and Johnson, two former first-round picks on rookie deals who have yet to break through but are still developing.

Toronto, which sits in fourth place in the East at 24-16 before Monday night’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, will likely enter the playoffs with a team centered around Morant, Barnes and Ingram. However, Washington could still package picks from this deal along with other assets to move up in this summer’s draft if needed.

Having Quickley as part of the quarterback rotation, albeit on a bad contract, for the foreseeable future would be a bonus. The Wizards could add him as a complementary component to a core centered around whoever they draft in the top eight this summer, Young, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Keyshon George, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington moving forward. Regardless, the roster is likely to be talented enough to make the play-in tournament at least next year, which would give the Wizards a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.