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Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young reportedly prefers the Washington Wizards as his top trade destination, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday (January 7).
Young's agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, have had ongoing conversations with the Hawks about trading Young, 27, away from Atlanta and the Hawks have been active in discussions on multiple fronts, according to the sources. The four-time All-Star has a $49 million player option during the upcoming offseason, which would allow him to test free agency and give the Hawks almost $40 million in cap space.
Young has been the Hawks' franchise player since being acquired in a draft day swap with the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Dončić, having already broken the team's record for 3-pointers and assists, and led Atlanta to three playoff appearances in eight seasons, which included an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021.
Young has, however, dealt with leg injuries throughout the 2025-26 season, entering with a right MCL sprain and being limited to just 10 appearances. The former Oklahoma standout is currently dealing with a right quad contusion, forcing him to miss the past five games.
Young has averaged 25.2 points and 9.8 assists for his career and led the NBA in assists with 11.6 assists per game in 2024-25.