Wizards' Trae Young deal a low-risk way to push their rebuild forward

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Trae Young's fit on the Washington Wizards from a basketball perspective is to be determined. His fit in the grand scheme of Washington's rebuild is perfect. It's time for the team to gauge where it's at in a slow and long rebuild.

A common question across social media after it was first reported the Wizards and Young had mutual interest in a potential trade was "why?" Why would the Wizards want an undersized guard who doesn't defend as the centerpiece of their young team? Why would a four-time all-star like Young want to play for a team that hasn't had a winning record in eight years. The fit seemed awkward.

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The answer to the latter question is simple. The perception of Young, and thus his value as an asset, is at an all-time low. He likely didn't have many options outside of Washington. At least the Wizards would give him a chance to rebuild his value without pressure to win right away. The Wizards side of things takes a little more explaining.

Since trading Bradley Beal three summers ago, the Wizards front office led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins have collected a treasure trove of young, promising talent through the draft and trades. Players like Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson to name a few. Naturally, in the time since, they've been doing a whole lot of losing.

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At some point, though, the rebuild needs to turn a corner, and that can't happen without adding a star or two into the mix. How do the Wizards know what they have in their young players if they don't give them a real chance to win? Enter Young, who gets to audition for that role at a low-risk, high-reward cost. He's the type of drive-and-kick point guard who creates easy looks for other players the team has been lacking. Not to mention, he's a bucket among himself. To get him, Washington only needed to part with CJ McCollum's expiring contract and Corey Kispert. Even better, Young only has one year left on his deal, a $48 million player option for next season he'll be smart to pick up. So, if he turns out to be a bad fit, the Wizards can simply trade him at next year's deadline or let him walk. If it works, though, the Wizards are back in business. They have the cap space to extend Young and still add another star.

The most important factor in the immediate future is that the Wizards continue to lose this season, by any means necessary. They have a top-eight protected draft pick that conveys to the Knicks if it falls outside that range. As long as Young's addition doesn't ruin those odds, and the Wizards add one last lottery pick -- potentially their best given the type of talent at the top of the 2026 draft -- this trade could give Washington a chance to compete for the playoffs as soon as next season. If it doesn't go that way, they didn't lose much for the attempt.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Wizards' Trae Young trade a low-risk, high-reward step in rebuild

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