Trae Young appears to be heading toward free agency, though his time with the Washington Wizards may not necessarily be coming to an end.
According to a Wednesday report from Andscape, Young intends to turn down his $48.97 million player option for the 2026-27 season, making him an unrestricted free agent as of Monday. While Washington is considered the leading candidate to bring him back, the report indicates that several other franchises are likely to pursue the four-time All-Star once he officially enters the market.
This decision had been widely anticipated as one of the first significant moves of Washington’s offseason. The Wizards brought Young over from the Atlanta Hawks back in January, sending CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in a trade designed to give their rebuilding franchise a proven offensive playmaker.
Unfortunately, Young’s debut season in Washington was plagued by injuries. He originally suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament while still with Atlanta in late October, eventually returned in December, but then appeared in just five games for the Wizards before back and quad problems ended his season early.
In total, Young played 15 games split between Atlanta and Washington, putting up averages of 17.9 points and 8.0 assists. During his five outings in a Wizards uniform specifically, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Washington’s desire to keep Young is tied to a larger push to climb out of the league’s basement. The Wizards went 17-65 last season — their third straight year losing at least 64 games — but the organization now has Young, Anthony Davis, and a promising group of younger players to build around.
Adding to the franchise’s optimism, Washington also holds the No. 1 overall pick heading into next week’s draft, giving them yet another key piece to develop alongside their veteran duo.
Young, 27, has put up career averages of 25.1 points and 9.8 assists across 498 games, cementing his reputation as one of the NBA’s elite playmakers. The central question now is whether Washington can leverage its early positioning to lock him into a long-term deal.
