Trae might be damaged goods, but he's a worthwhile bet for Wizards

Trae Young's eight-year run in Atlanta came to an end Wednesday night with a trade to the division-rival Wizards, but don't be fooled by reports that Washington was Young's preferred destination.

For a variety of reasons we've already covered, it's more likely that the Wizards were one of Young's only serious suitors. Hence why a 27-year-old four-time All-Star was traded for CJ McCollum's expiring salary and Corey Kispert, with no draft picks headed Atlanta's way.

That doesn't mean Young can't find success in D.C. or elevate a rebuilding Wizards club that hasn't sniffed relevance in a decade. Young remains an incredibly gifted playmaker who puts pressure on opposing defenses. The NBA's reigning assists champion will create the best looks Washington's young players have ever had. Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly should be celebrating this acquisition, for now.

At his best, Young is an unquestionable offensive star. Though knee and quad injuries have sapped his production this season (and limited him to just 10 games), Young averaged 26.5 points and 10.2 assists over the previous six years. However, he's spent his entire career challenging for the title of the NBA's worst defensive player. Young's an undersized guard who isn't athletic enough or laterally quick enough to make up for it, and his effort on that end of the floor is inconsistent, at best.

There are also warts to be found in the more dominant part of his game. Young can get into the paint at will and he has improved as an off-ball player, but he's still an extremely ball-dominant star who doesn't score efficiently enough to justify it. When his jumper is falling from as far as the logo and he's throwing darts to teammates, there aren't many players more entertaining to watch. And the mere threat of Young's jumper will keep opponents honest. But he's a career 35% 3-point shooter who's only shot 50% or better inside the arc three out of eight seasons.

As a prospect at Oklahoma and early in his pro career, Young's range and style of play drew comparisons to Steph Curry. In reality, he's more like a poor man's James Harden. The Beard drove winning at an elite level in his MVP prime, but consider all the criticisms of Harden's game, then imagine if he was smaller, weaker, even worse defensively, and nowhere near as efficient.

Curry sports a career true shooting percentage of 62.6. Harden's combination of shooting and foul-drawing has helped him post a 60-plus true shooting percentage in 12 of his 17 seasons. Young has done it once in eight years and has actually scored on below-average efficiency in half of his seasons, according to Basketball Reference's adjusted shooting metric.

Simply put, Young's offensive play hasn't been as flawless as it needs to be to overcome his devastating defensive issues. That's why the Hawks have been the poster boys for mediocrity with or without him since Young led Atlanta to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

The Hawks will now turn the franchise over to 24-year-old forward Jalen Johnson, who has emerged as a rising star on a bargain contract (15%-19% of the cap) that runs through 2030. Atlanta also has two-way guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, defensive menace Dyson Daniels, rookie Asa Newell, the sweet-shooting Kispert (under team control through 2029), and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, among other youngsters. Most importantly, the Hawks could be on the verge of acquiring a franchise cornerstone via the draft, as Atlanta will receive the more favorable of New Orleans' or Milwaukee's first-round pick this year.

All of that helps explain why the Hawks never offered Young an extension last summer, and why the team was so content to sell low on its former franchise star. You can't build a sustainable contender in the age of aprons if a flawed one-way star like Young is taking up 30% of your cap space. The Hawks know it, just as almost every team around the league does.

That reality will make extension talks between Young and the Wizards fascinating, with the 2022 All-NBAer armed with a roughly $49-million player option for next season.

For now, Young can help Washington's youngsters on the offensive end while being insulated somewhat by sophomore big man Sarr, whose defensive upside is tantalizing. It's also unlikely Young will boost the Wizards' short-term fortunes enough to derail their best laid tanking plans. The 10-26 Wizards, whose 2026 first-rounder is top-eight protected, are already 6.5 games out of a play-in spot and own the league's fourth-worst record.

The Wizards could slow-play Young's return from a quad injury and start planning for next season, when Young, Sarr, and the rest of Washington's youngsters could get a jolt from a blue-chip prospect and smart use of their whopping cap space.

There are parallels to Toronto's 2025 acquisition of Brandon Ingram, a former All-Star with some warts in his game who was available for cheap. Like Young, Ingram was injured (ankle) when the Raptors acquired him, and he was held out for the remainder of the campaign while the team prioritized lottery odds. The difference is that Ingram and the Raptors reached an extension agreement within days, whereas Young and the Wizards reportedly aren't expected to have immediate extension talks.

If Washington can get Young to settle for something in the range of Ingram's three-year, $120-million extension (worth roughly 24% of the cap), this deal will prove to be a home run. I wouldn't bet on Young agreeing to such terms any time soon, but it's also possible the Wizards rehabilitate Young's image and flip him for surplus value over the next year and a half.

In any event, it's a completely justifiable low-risk, high-reward bet for the rebuilding Wizards, who haven't won 50 games or advanced to the conference finals since 1979. What does it say about Young, though, that it's arguably even more sensible Atlanta let him go for pennies on the dollar?

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.