Trae Young's top choice is to join the Wizards! New contract extension could exceed $100 million; also willing to go to Timberwolves, Nets ignore him

On January 8th Beijing time, according to renowned reporter Shams,the Washington Wizards are Trae Young’s favored team on his list of potential new homes, with trade negotiations between the Hawks and Wizards advancing to some extent.

Insider Stein reported earlier this week that the Wizards and Hawks have started discussions on a possible trade that could send Trae Young to Washington while moving guard McCollum to Atlanta.

Subsequent reports indicate that the Hawks are willing to be patient while evaluating the trade market for Trae Young, and both sides still need to finalize additional details — reportedly,the Wizards are seeking draft compensation from the Hawks and are unwilling to part with the type of young player assets the Hawks hope to acquire alongside McCollum.

Although other teams are closely monitoring Trae Young’s situation, the Wizards remain the only confirmed viable destination at present. Therefore, the 27-year-old star’s willingness to move to Washington is a positive sign for the potential trade.

While the Wizards are not currently championship contenders, this rebuilding team has recently improved, winning five of their last seven games. Despite concerns about Trae Young’s defense, the Wizards’ young core is expected to benefit from adding this elite offensive playmaker.

Additionally, the Wizards have no large multi-year contracts blocking their salary cap space, meaning they can absorb Trae Young’s $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season — or negotiate a new extension to replace that option, which is likely what the four-time All-Star and his camp desire.

As Shams pointed out, Trae Young also has a connection with Wizards’ Senior VP of Player Personnel Schrunk, who originally drafted the star while serving as the Hawks’ general manager.

Insider Fischer stated,if the Wizards and Hawks finalize a trade involving Trae Young, he and his new team are very likely to agree on an extensionthat replaces his $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season with a lower-salary contract lasting at least two more years. League sources say,to convince Trae Young to forgo that $49 million option, the extension offer might need to exceed $100 million.

Fischer reported that since the Hawks declined to renew Trae Young’s contract in the offseason, the Wizards have been closely monitoring his situation in Atlanta and have held “serious” talks about a potential trade. However, Atlanta is not rushing to make a deal, preferring to wait until a few weeks before the February 6 trade deadline to see if other interested teams emerge.

Fischer reported,Trae Young’s camp has identified the Timberwolves and Nets as two potential trade partners he is interested in, but so far, neither team has shown interest in him.The Timberwolves are actually unlikely to pursue any high-salary point guards; although they want to strengthen that position, they prefer players with manageable salaries. Mike Conley’s expiring $10.8 million contract and Duren’s rookie deal (earning $6.8 million this season) could be salary-matching assets in trades. He also noted that the Timberwolves are open to discussing trading Duren, even though the rookie has yet to develop into a reliable rotation player.

So far this season, Trae Young has played 10 games, averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 41.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of 30.5%.