Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young has decided to opt out of his player option with the team and will become a free agent.
The Wizards acquired Young from the Atlanta Hawks for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum in January. Young only played in five games for the Wizards following the trade, as he dealt with injuries. With the Wizards not in playoff contention, the team decided to shut him down.
Now, his time in Washington may be up after just five games, as he is opting out of the $48.97 million player option he has for 2026-27.
According to veteran NBA journalist Marc J. Spears, Young is turning down his player option with the Wizards for next season, and he will become a free agent next week ahead of the official opening of the free-agent market on June 30.
“Wizards star Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026–27 season to become a FA on Monday, sources. Washington remains the front runner for the four-time NBA All-Star as he loves the team and DC, but he still expects multiple team max interest,” Spears wrote on X.
Wizards star Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026–27 season to become a FA on Monday, sources. Washington remains the front runner for the four-time NBA All-Star as he loves the team and DC, but he still expects multiple team max interest.
As Spears noted in his post, Young enjoyed his time in Washington, and he is interested in returning to the Wizards next season. But he also would like to test the free-agent market and see what kinds of offers are out there. It’s his right as a free agent to see what sort of contract offers are out there, and if he gets a max contract offer from another team, he might just have to take it.
Obviously, since the Wizards traded for him in January, the team would be very interested in keeping him in the fold for next season and beyond. As Spears noted, the Wizards are the frontrunners to sign him, though that doesn’t mean that he will for sure be back.
Otherwise, several teams with ample cap space could make big offers to Young on the free-agent market, such as the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets. Though Young doesn’t fit the timeline of those teams, they could still decide that he is the guy worth using their cap space on and sign him.
The Miami Heat would also be an interesting destination for Young, though they likely wouldn’t be able to offer him the max contract that he covets. Still, they could offer him a starting job as the point guard on a winning team, and if the Heat trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo as is rumored, it would certainly be intriguing if they were able to bring in Young to anchor their backcourt.
In the end, though, the team that makes the most sense is still the Wizards. There was a reason they acquired Young in the first place, so even though he declined his player option to return, don’t be surprised at all if the player and team work out a long-term pact and he returns to D.C.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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