A possible Trae Young trade is one of the most interesting stories to watch ahead of February's trade deadline. The market appears to be limited for the four-time All-Star. However, on Monday, the Washington Wizards emerged as a surprise suitor for Young.
The Wizards have emerged as a legitimate potential trade destination for Atlanta's Trae Young, @TheSteinLine has learned, in a deal construction centered around CJ McCollum's expiring contract.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 5, 2026
More to come here: https://t.co/i9CobUR55T pic.twitter.com/k9xOa2DZas
A possible Wizards-Young would be centered around CJ McCollum. For that price, I like the idea of the Wizards making a move for Trae. Washington has been at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the past three seasons, and they hasn't had much luck in the draft lottery. As such, this is probably their best chance to land a possible franchise point guard -- something they desperately need.
Perhaps they don't extend Young, and he leaves as a free agent either in 2027 (I assume he will pick up a $48.9 million player option this offseason). My larger point, though, is that Young raises the Wizards' floor. Regardless of what you think of him, that's an undeniable fact.
When this rumor first surfaced, one of my initial thoughts (and something I've seen discussed much) is that this should put the ridiculous tanking discussions to bed. Over recent weeks, Adam Silver and the NBA have been trying to combat tanking in every possible way, including exploring some odd rule changes such as locking draft positions after March 1.
The problem is -- tanking isn't a widespread issue anymore, and the Wizards' interest in Trae Young is further evidence of this.
Tanking is no longer an issue
Before this trade rumor, I would have listed the Wizards as the lone tanking team. Now I truly think that number is zero. Are there bad teams? Of course, but there aren't multiple teams that are put together with a sole goal of getting a top pick like the early 2010s Philadelphia 76ers. Teams are more focused on development and culture. Plus, as the Wizards are showing us, if there's a reasonable trade for a player who will raise the team's floor, these rebuilding teams will be willing to pull the trigger.
I'll admit tanking has been an issue before, but that's no longer the case -- even with a loaded 2026 draft class.
There will always be young rebuilding teams. That's part of the game when you have a mediocre core and trade off your best players, it makes sense to get younger, and guess what, young teams aren't typically good. Furthermore, the only way for smaller market teams to get is to get some sort of lottery picks.
However, since the lottery odds have been flattened, we've seen a decrease in the teams that are truly tanking. The Wizards and Utah Jazz had the worst two records in the league last year and ended up with the No. 6 and No. 5 picks, respectively. Teams realize it's not worth putting together a truly awful roster when you're statistically more likely to get the No. 5 pick than a top-three pick.
Why do you think the Jazz have continued to hold on to Lauri Markkanen? It's because they want to eventually build a competitive squad, and they know that Markkanen can be a big part of that. However, keeping Markkanen isn't something that a true tanking team would do.
None of the teams around the league are truly tanking
To cement my point, let's look at the bottom four teams in each conference. Starting in the East, we have the Indiana Pacers, Wizards (already covered), Brooklyn Nets, and Charlotte Hornets.
Indiana has dealt with a plethora of legitimate injuries, so I don't think it's fair to say they're truly tanking. The Nets are on pace to pass their preseason over-under of 19.5 games. Charlotte wouldn't have traded for a win-now player in Collin Sexton this offseason if they were tanking, and they are on pace for just under 30 wins, which isn't a number bad enough to qualify as tanking.
In the West, we have the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Jazz, and Dallas Mavericks.
The Pelicans don't have their first-round pick, so they quite literally have no reason to lose on purpose. Sacramento could be a tanking candidate if they break up their core at the deadline, but for now, they aren't, and I don't think a team with so little recent success would want to bottom out (again).
We already discussed the Jazz, but I want to point out that their first-round pick is top-eight protected and they seem ready to sacrifice it. The Mavs could look to position themselves for the draft by trading Anthony Davis. Nevertheless, Davis has missed half of the season anyway, and after this year, they don't have their first-round pick.
Ultimately, when looking at every team around the league, none reflects the actions of a team that is intentionally trying to lose at all costs. The Wizards' interest in Young should close the door on this debate once and for all.