With just one day away before selecting the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23, the Washington Wizards made a franchise-defining move by securing Trae Young’s future in the nation’s capital.
According to ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania, Young agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract with Washington. The deal also includes a player option for the final year.
Tweet Embed: <blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The Wizards and Young’s representatives, CAA’s Co-Head of Basketball Aaron Mintz, agents Ray Young, Andrew Morrison and Co-Head of Basketball Austin Brown, land on a deal that will be less than the maximum for Young with Washington, but equal to the max he could have signed… <a href=”https://t.co/NdY45AbC0u”>https://t.co/NdY45AbC0u</a></p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href=”https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2069129812472443121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.x.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Young entered free agency on Wednesday, June 17, after declining his $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season. But the Wizards wasted no time ensuring that the star guard remained a part of Washington’s future.
The 27-year-old arrived in Washington in January following a blockbuster trade from the Atlanta Hawks, where he spent the first seven-plus seasons of his NBA career. A knee injury limited Young to just five appearances with the Wizards.
In 15 games combined between Atlanta and Washington last season, Young averaged 17.9 points and eight assists per game.
The Wizards have been aggressive in accelerating their rebuild, most notably acquiring elite two-way big man Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks. With Young and Davis set to lead the way, Washington now has a bolstered blend of proven talent and a promising young core.
“You gotta give a lot of credit to the front office and what they’ve been doing,” said Wizards legend John Wall. “They did a great job by getting Trae Young and [Anthony Davis] during the trade deadline. And the young guys are doing a great job of developing and getting better for themselves.”
With the All-Star duo showing a promising young core –– Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Julian Reese, among others –– plus the anticipated No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Washington is fueling momentum that their rebuild is headed in the right direction.
The decision to keep Young further signals that this franchise is ready to turn heads next season and make a statement for possible playoff contention.
“The [Washington Wizards] with the No. 1 pick––an incredible opportunity to add a transformational talent to our core,” CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment Ted Leonsis said on X.
