It is rare for superstar trades in the NBA to be extremely lopsided, yet the Washington Wizards won by a mile when they acquired Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Cory Kispert. But per a response on X(formerly Twitter) from Joshua Robbins of ‘The Athletic,’ Young's play in Washington is in question. Thus, his value will still be low in the offseason, where the LA Clippers can snag him for cheap.
I would be surprised if he plays much, if at all, the remainder of this season.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) January 8, 2026
In fact, assuming Robbins is correct, and Young is not in action much, the trade market for him will be at an all-time low, if it was not already this week following the blockbuster deal. As it took the Wizards an aging veteran in McCollum and a role player in Kispert to make the acquisition, months later, the four-time all-star may only be worth a salary filler.
Therefore, the Wizards drew up the perfect set to help the Clippers. All Lawrence Frank must do is be patient and ensure that space for Young’s player option is available for the deal to transpire.
The Clippers could take Trae Young out of Washington with no effort at all
The LA Clippers will have no problem taking on Trae Young’s $48 million player option that is likely to be accepted. He is talented enough to bring a title banner to the Intuit Dome, and if it costs nearly $50 million, so be it; a championship parade, especially the first, is priceless, and it will bring families together, making lifelong memories.
Furthermore, with him having the lowest price tag of any superstar and all-star on the trade block this summer, the Clippers' only task with the Washington Wizards will be salary matching.
To start, the Clippers should consider those with team options. Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16 million) and Nicolas Batum ($5.8 million) have the most prominent offers, but a major filler worth $20-$30 million will need to be included.
This is where strategic planning for next season takes place, as the Clippers must label Young, a 27-year-old, as their long-term future and secure players on short-term, bad contracts at the trade deadline. This move will complete the master plot.
Though several apron restrictions will have to be considered for everything to work out, and there cannot be a single miscue, if Lawrence Frank sets Young as the primary target of the Clippers’ front office, it will likely happen, and LA will still have the foundation they deeply cherish.