End of an era as Hawks trade Trae Young to Wizards – report

The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, multiple outlets reported Wednesday, January 7 (Thursday, January 8, Manila time).

The return package from Washington reportedly includes veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert.

Young, 27, has spent his entire career in Atlanta since he was acquired from Dallas immediately after the Mavericks selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

He led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, but they followed with first-round exits the following two seasons and have been eliminated in the play-in the last two seasons.

Young, the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,837) and three-pointers made (1,295), has averaged 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and one steal per contest over 493 games (all starts) with the Hawks.

However, he’s played just 10 of the team’s 39 games this season, missing an extended stretch with a sprained MCL and sitting out currently due to a right quad contusion.

The Hawks (18-21) were 2-8 in the 10 games Young played this season and are currently positioned for the play-in for the third straight year as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.

McCollum, 34, is in his first season with the Wizards after spending much of his career in Portland (2013-22) and the last three-plus seasons in New Orleans (2022-25).

The 2015-16 Most Improved Player, McCollum is averaging 18.8 points (his fewest since 2014-15) and 3.6 assists over 35 games this season.

Kispert, 26, was selected 15th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by Washington. He’s averaged 10.9 points and shot 38.3% from outside the arc in 311 games (105 starts) spanning five seasons with the Wizards.

He’s averaging 9.2 points and shooting 39.5% from three-point range this season. – Rappler.com