After declining his $49 million player option last week, free agent guard Trae Young plans to remain with the Washington Wizards and sign a four-year deal worth approximately $212 million, ESPN reported on Monday.
Young, 27, a four-time All-Star, could have earned more with the Wizards but the deal is equal to the maximum he could have signed for with another team.
Young will now team with fellow star Anthony Davis, along with Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Will RIley, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson, to help lead Washington back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Wizards also hold the No. 1 pick in Tuesday’s draft and are expected to select AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson.
In the fifth game last season with the Hawks, Young suffered a sprained right MCL that kept him out until mid-December. Less than a month later, he was dealt to the Wizards in exchange for veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert.
Young played in only five games for Washington and finished the season with averages of 17.9 points per game and 8.0 assists per game in 15 total games.
“The few games that Trae was able to play, you just saw the gravity that he has and he draws and how he’ll be able to free up our guys,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins told ESPN in May. “But also Anthony Davis was coming off of being on two teams in two years and Trae Young, the way he left Atlanta — you’re finding guys that want to be in D.C., want to compete together and I think have some chips on their shoulders. Those are the horses we want to put our bets on.”
Since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2018, Young owns career averages of 25.1 points, 9.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 498 games (all starts) with the Hawks and Wizards.
–Field Level Media
