After a quiet start to the unofficial NBA trade window, Trae Young has stepped up to kick off the season. According to Marc Stein and ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks are working to trade Young, with the Washington Wizards emerging as a primary suitor.
While it’s unusual for a player of Young’s caliber to be on the move midseason without specifically requesting a trade, the signs were there. Back in the offseason, Young and the Hawks couldn’t agree on an extension, instead focusing on Dyson Daniels and new additions like Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The question has long persisted: can a team build a contender around a point guard who’s an offensive superstar but struggles on defense? Since Atlanta’s Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021, the Hawks haven’t advanced past the first round. This season, they’re 2-8 with Young in the lineup and 15-13 without him. The Hawks appear to have found their answer, apparently choosing instead to build around 6-foot-8, do-it-all forward Jalen Johnson.
How the Bulls fit into a Trae Young deal
That leaves a glaring hypothetical: what would a Trae Young trade look like, and could the Chicago Bulls get involved? Chicago could technically pursue him, considering Young’s value is reportedly low despite his career accolades. However, after re-signing point guard Josh Giddey in the offseason and continuing to field a subpar defense, Young doesn’t fit the Bulls’ roster or strategy.
Instead of acquiring Young outright, the Bulls could step in as a facilitator—something that may be necessary if the Wizards are the team ultimately trading for him. Young’s $45.9 million cap hit is roughly $15 million more than CJ McCollum’s, who could be part of the deal. A straight player-for-player swap would force the Hawks to take on additional salary (although not quite $15 million), so we decided to get a little creative in the mock trade below.
The trade features six players and two draft picks, which is modest, all things considered, given the contracts involved. With three teams in healthy cap situations, there was no need for major salary-cap gymnastics.
The Hawks send Young to the Washington Wizards, while the Bulls receive a 2026 second-round pick (with multiple swap rights) and a lottery-protected 2029 first-rounder. Chicago sends Zach Collins to Atlanta and Nikola Vucevic to Washington. In return, the Wizards ship CJ McCollum to the Hawks and Marvin Bagley III to the Bulls.
Breaking down the trade for each team
The Bulls move on from Collins and Vucevic, neither of whom is likely to be re-signed beyond this season, in exchange for salary-matching pieces and added draft capital. In this hypothetical, Chicago is left with Jalen Smith and newly acquired Bagley III handling interior minutes. For a Bulls team lacking long-term direction, any draft capital is a win—even if it comes with heavy protections.
Atlanta gets its wish in moving Young, but does have to attach draft picks to shed his contract, something Stein noted could be necessary. In shipping out Young, the Hawks bring back a scoring guard in McCollum and a much-needed reserve center in Collins.
The Wizards land Young as a centerpiece to build around, while also adding Vucevic—if only for half a season—to pair with budding big man Alex Sarr in the frontcourt. Washington has reportedly been searching for a bulkier, floor-spacing center to line up next to Sarr, and Vooch fits that mold.
Moreover, Washington acquires Vucevic’s Bird rights, allowing them to re-sign him beyond this season, even if it means exceeding the salary cap. At 35, the veteran center isn’t necessarily a long-term solution, but if the Wizards are targeting Young, they’re clearly aiming to compete sooner rather than later.
Assuming both Atlanta and Washington would make this trade, does it make sense for the Bulls?
Grade the Trade: Do the Bulls make this deal?
Chicago has long been a difficult team to pin down. Are they trying to win now? Is a rebuild underway? Is there even a coherent plan in place? At this point, there are no clear answers.
The Bulls have moved on from veterans like DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, and Lonzo Ball in recent years, signaling a possible rebuild. Yet they’ve held onto Vucevic and largely avoided stockpiling draft capital. As a result, Chicago appears stuck in either a half-hearted rebuild or a teardown that hasn’t fully begun.
Consequently, this trade aligns with the type of move Chicago might realistically make. The Bulls finally move on from Vucevic, something they should have done long ago, but do so essentially for Middleton and Bagley III. The former is a serviceable but aging wing on an expiring contract who doesn’t fit neatly into either team’s long-term plans, though he could provide value in a subsequent trade. The latter is a former second-overall pick now best suited as a reserve sparkplug.
The real value lies in the pair of draft picks acquired from the Hawks—a 2026 second-rounder and a lottery-protected first in 2029, which would likely convey. Chicago is desperate for draft capital, not because it lacks picks to make selections, but because it has consistently failed to accumulate assets beyond its own.
Collins is on an expiring contract, but like Vucevic, he would come with Bird rights if traded, allowing his new team to retain him with ease. His value likely isn’t multiple second-round picks or even a distant unprotected first, but given Atlanta’s need for a center and Chicago’s incentive to move Collins before he hits free agency, the framework makes sense for both sides.
All in all, it’s a solid trade for the Bulls, but not a needle-mover. Adding a young piece like AJ Johnson or Cam Whitmore from the Wizards might change that, but Chicago’s roster construction remains ill-equipped to stack guards or score-first players. Instead, the Bulls need bigs and defensive-minded wings—assets neither team is eager to part with. Still, moving on from two players unlikely to be on the roster next season in exchange for draft capital is a win.