There was a blockbuster trade made in the National Basketball Association on Wednesday. According to Rogers Sportsnet, the Atlanta Hawks have traded point guard Trae Young of Lubbock, Texas to the Washington Wizards for guard CJ McCollum of Canton, Ohio and forward Corey Kispert of Edmonds, Washington. The trade between the Hawks and Wizards was no surprise as there had been some speculation in the last week that a deal would take place.
Young is joining his second NBA franchise. He was with the Hawks for eight seasons, of which he was an NBA All-Star on four occasions (2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24, and 2024-25). In 2024-25, Young led the NBA with 11.6 assists per game.
In 2025-26, Young is averaging 19.3 points per game, 8.9 assists per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, and one steal per game. He has a field goal percentage of .415, free throw percentage of .863 and a three point percentage of .305.
McCollum is joining his fourth NBA franchise in 2025-26. He previously played nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers (2013 to 2022), four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans (2022 to 2025), and one season with the Wizards (2025-26).
McCollum is averaging 21.9 points per game. He has 4.2 assists per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. McCollum has a field goal percentage of .454, free throw percentage of .804 and a three point percentage of .393.
The Hawks are coming off a 117-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks won without Young, and that has been a growing trend as of late. Atlanta has a record of 16 wins and 13 losses without Young, and a record of two wins and eight losses with Young. As for McCollum, he was an unrestricted free agent and there were rumours he was not going to re-sign in Washington.
