The NBA's trade season officially commenced one month ahead of the February 5th deadline with a significant transaction involving the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards. In a move that sent shockwaves across the league, the Atlanta Hawks traded their star point guard and four-time All-Star, Trae Young, to the Washington Wizards. In exchange, the Hawks acquired veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert, as sources confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday.

For the Atlanta Hawks, this trade signifies a pivotal shift in franchise direction. After nearly eight seasons with Young, Atlanta has opted to move away from its previous cornerstone and instead focus on building around a promising young core. This core includes talents such as Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zaccharie Risacher, aiming for a more fluid style of play centered around wings and depth. The decision comes amidst a period where the Young-era Hawks, despite reaching the 2021 Eastern Conference finals behind Young's stellar 28.8 PPG and 9.5 APG performance at age 22, had seemingly peaked, failing to advance deep into the playoffs in subsequent years (eliminated in 2022 and 2023). The Hawks opened the current season with high expectations, bolstered by additions like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis, but registered a disappointing 2-8 record in the 10 games Young played.

A major underlying factor in Atlanta's decision has been Trae Young's defensive impact. Throughout his career, the Hawks have historically defended better with Young off the court. While he provides an undeniable offensive boost, ranking in the 95th percentile leaguewide for scoring 9.2 more points per 100 possessions with him on the court, this has been counterbalanced by defensive struggles. Data from Cleaning the Glass indicates that in all but one season (2022-23), the Hawks allowed at least two more points per 100 possessions with Young on the court. GeniusIQ's quantified shot probability measure (qSP) also suggests Hawks opponents get slightly better shots when Young plays, with Atlanta's defensive qSP going from 54% without Young (12th league rank) to 56.6% with him (29th league rank). Although actual shooting differences are even starker, the underlying shot quality differential aligns with Young's typical defensive impact. Crucially, the Hawks have shown an ability to "survive" without Young, posting their best net rating when he sits at any point in his career (-0.4 this season).

The acquisition of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert addresses several needs for Atlanta. McCollum, a valuable plug-and-play veteran leader, brings much-needed shot creation and can significantly lift the Hawks' second units, which have struggled badly without a third capable ballhandler. According to GeniusIQ, McCollum boasts an effective 51.5% on half-court shots that are neither an assist opportunity nor a putback, a metric where only Onyeka Okongwu (50.5%) on the Hawks exceeds 46% with comparable volume. Furthermore, McCollum's $30.6 million contract is expiring, offering immediate financial flexibility. Corey Kispert adds to the Hawks' wing depth, providing a more capable defender than Luke Kennard and being younger at 26, with a contract extending through 2028-29. This trade provides Atlanta with ample room to reshape its roster, as they no longer have any player earning more than $31 million. This financial flexibility will allow them to pursue significant salaries this summer, with Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis even being mentioned as a potential trade target, without threatening the luxury tax. Additionally, the Hawks possess valuable draft capital, including the more favorable of the Milwaukee Bucks' and New Orleans Pelicans' first-round picks this year, with projections giving Atlanta a 15% chance at the No. 1 pick via that trade. The Hawks' grade for this trade is a 'B'.

For the Washington Wizards, trading for Trae Young marks a strategic "course correction" and signals a new, more aggressive phase in their rebuild, initiated by Michael Winger and Will Dawkins in 2023. This also reunites Young with Travis Schlenk, the executive who brought him to Atlanta in a draft-night deal in 2018. The Wizards, previously patient in accumulating young talent, appear ready to accelerate their timeline, potentially influenced by their recent success (9-10 after a 1-15 start, including five wins in seven games) which risked them losing their top-eight protected lottery pick to the New York Knicks. Washington believes acquiring an anchor like Young is the next step in supporting the development of its burgeoning young talent, most notably starters Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr, all 22 or younger, mirroring how capable veterans accelerated the progress of teams like the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons. The Wizards, who were 27th in offensive efficiency, also suffered from guards providing the sixth-fewest points per game (50.0) and fourth-fewest assists per game (11.9) this season.

Young's fit within the Wizards' system presents an intriguing dynamic. He is an exceptional passer, leading the NBA with 11.6 APG last season, and will undoubtedly be a more dangerous pick-and-roll playmaker than Washington has had since John Wall's prime (the Wizards currently rank 25th in points per chance off pick-and-rolls). However, Young's ball-dominant style (5.7 minutes time of possession this season, 41% of Hawks offensive time compared to McCollum's 29%) differs from the veteran additions seen in Houston or Detroit, where Fred VanVleet had approximately 35% time of possession. This might necessitate Coulibaly, George, and Sarr adapting to primarily off-ball roles. The fit with second-year guard Bub Carrington, who plays both on and off-ball, could also be tricky, potentially pushing him more towards shooting guard, where rookie lottery pick Tre Johnson already resides. Despite defensive limitations, the Wizards view Young as a high-value acquisition given his four-time All-Star status and offensive prowess. His $49 million player option for 2026-27 (or a potential extension) will not be an issue for Washington, which anticipates over $90 million in cap space and will clear $46 million in cap room for the summer. They will retain max-level room for further moves and will use the next three months to evaluate Young's fit with their young core before building around them in the offseason. The Wizards' grade for this trade is also a 'B'.

Trae Young leaves Atlanta as the Hawks' all-time leader in 3-pointers (1,295) and assists (4,837), having led the team to three postseason appearances, including the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. Only Onyeka Okongwu remains from that 2021 team. In his 10 games this season, Young averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, and 1.5 rebounds, shooting 41.5% from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc. His career averages stand at 25.2 points and 9.8 assists. Notably, Young is only the second player since the 1976-77 merger to average 25 points per game for a single team in his first 400 career games and be traded before game 500, a list that also includes Luka Doncic, the player Young was traded for on draft night 2018. Young has scored or assisted on 48.1 points per game in his career, second only to Luka Doncic (48.9). Young's agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison, and Austin Brown, worked with Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh on the trade, with dialogue maintained for several months after the franchise elected not to offer Young a contract extension. Young has been sidelined recently due to a right quad contusion, having also dealt with a right MCL sprain earlier in the season; the Wizards are not expected to have immediate extension talks, evaluating his health upon arrival. CJ McCollum's season averages are 18.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, with 45.4% field goal shooting and 39.3% from three. Corey Kispert has averaged 9.2 points and 39.5% from three in 19 games this season.