Trae Young Traded In Shocking Deal To Eastern Conference Rival

For months now, the future of Trae Young has been up in the air, and while his trade market likely wasn't as big as expected by the Atlanta Hawks, there was plenty of interest in the All-Star point guard.

The chatter around Young has picked up immensely in recent weeks, and on Wednesday, things progressed far more quickly than anyone could have expected. In a shock move, Young named the Washington Wizards as one of the top destinations that he'd like to end up, and then, just a few hours later, the former No. 5 overall pick was officially traded.

The deal lands the Hawks the duo of Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum, and while it's not a monster haul that some expected, given the money the Wizards took on in this deal, it's a good move for both parties. Now, Washington will look to build around Young and their young core of Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, and Alex Sarr, giving them one of the most exciting young groups in the entire NBA.

This season, Young has appeared in just 10 games for the Hawks, but when healthy, he's already shown in his career that he's capable of carrying a team to the NBA Playoffs. Only time will tell if Young believes in this team enough to re-sign with them on a long-term deal, but for now, the Wizards have landed a star point guard, and given how he complements this team on paper, they could be a genuine play-in threat this season.