Trae Young appears headed for the open market, though his short stay with the Washington Wizards may not be over.
Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026-27 season and will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday, according to a report from Andscape on Wednesday. Washington is the favorite to retain the four-time All-Star guard, but multiple teams are expected to show interest once he enters free agency, per the report.
The decision was expected to be one of the first
major moves of Washington's offseason. The Wizards acquired Young from the Atlanta Hawks in January, sending CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in a move aimed at giving their rebuild a solid offensive leader.
Young's first season in Washington never really got started. He suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament while with Atlanta in late October, returned in December, then played only five games for the Wizards after the trade before his season was cut short by back and quad issues.
Across 15 games with Atlanta and Washington, Young averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 assists. In his five appearances with the Wizards, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists.
Washington's interest in retaining Young is connected to a broader effort to move beyond the bottom of the standings. The Wizards finished 17-65 last season and have lost at least 64 games in three consecutive seasons, but they now have Young, Anthony Davis and a young core.
The Wizards also hold the No. 1 pick in next week's draft, giving the franchise another major piece to add around their veteran pairing.
Young, 27, has averaged 25.1 points and 9.8 assists over 498 career games and remains one of the league's most accomplished playmakers. Now the question is whether Washington can turn its head start into a long-term deal.
--Field Level Media
