The Atlanta Hawks recently traded franchise star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert. It was the first trade of the 2025-26 season and could be the biggest deal to be completed before February’s deadline.
Jeff Teague Calls Trae Young Trade One of the Greatest Ever
The deal made sense for both sides, as the Hawks felt like they had plateaued and the Wizards desperately needed a franchise star. Former NBA guard Jeff Teague even went so far as to classify it as a “legendary” trade. At the time of the trade, Young had only played in 10 games for the Hawks, and the team was just 2-8 in those games. Young is shooting a career-worst 30.5% from three, and his lackluster play impacted his trade value.
The Wizards didn’t even have to give up one draft pick in exchange for Young. An expiring contract in McCollum and a solid role player in Kispert were all it took to pry Young away from the Hawks.
The Wizards’ 2026 first-round pick is top 8 protected, so it doesn’t exactly benefit the team to win a ton of games. As a result, some around the league don’t expect Young to suit up for the Wizards this season.
On the “Club 520” podcast, Teague classified this as one of the best NBA trades ever. “To not have to play, and know you’re about to get an extension? Legend. Trae Young is a legend,” Teague declared.
Jeff Teague says the Trae Young trade might be the greatest trade ever
“To not have to play and know you about to get extended contract. LEGENDARY”
(Via @club520podcast) pic.twitter.com/QbaFS5MbPo
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 12, 2026
As Teague mentioned, Young is likely about to receive an extension and won’t even have to play much, if at all, for the rest of this season. Young has a player option worth just under $49 million for the 2026-27 season and will hit free agency the year after. As long as Young re-signs with Washington, it’s about as low-risk, high-reward of a trade as you can find.
The Wizards have been one of the least successful teams in the NBA over the last decade. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2020-21 season and hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2016-17 season. However, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George appear to be legitimate building blocks, and a proven star like Young should only aid in their development.
Even if Young struggles in Washington, the Wizards only gave up a role player and a veteran who was likely leaving after the season anyway.
