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Scotto: Have you talked to Anthony Davis about extending and being with you in Washington long-term? Young: I’m not going to tease him about that (an extension). He’s earned multiple extensions. That’s the thing about the NBA. We’ve got our own lives going on. The last thing we’re talking about is what we’re making. I don’t really think about it too much. I know what I’ve got to do and what I want to do with this team, and I hope to turn it back around. That’s all I care about. Whenever I do that, a winner will be standing. I’ve learned that recency bias is a real thing.
Scotto: After dealing with injuries last season, what’s your mindset coming into the new season? Young: For me, I can’t look too far ahead. I feel like last year I didn’t extend with the Hawks, and there were so many things going on since we had new teammates and we were looking forward to getting to the playoffs. That was the one regret I had. I feel like I looked too far ahead to begin last season. I’m not going to do that again. I haven’t done that before the NBA. Last year, I got away from it. That’s why I got hurt. It’s a blessing in disguise. I’m here for a reason. “I would say there’s a quiet confidence in Trae, but also our group that we’re going to let our play do the talking,” Dawkins said at a joint press conference with Young in Las Vegas. “He’s always been like that. There’s one player in the last 50 years who’s averaged 25 points and nine assists, and he’s sitting to my right, so I think he’ll handle business on the court when the time’s right.”
As for one of Young’s key representatives? Aaron Mintz, CAA’s co-head of basketball, detailed Trae Young’s strong value with his play, how he has elevated young teammates, and had already formed strong relationships with the key Wizards officials in the past. “This is a no-brainer move for both parties,” Mintz told Fadeaway World. “Time will tell, but I’m excited for the season. I think Trae and this team are going to have a phenomenal year.”
Given the view you have as Trae’s agent, how did Trae’s extension with the Wizards come to be? Aaron Mintz: “He made it known at the time of the trade that this was his preferred destination. He is with Travis Schlenk, who drafted him [in Atlanta in 2018]. With Michael Winger, Will Dawkins, Coach Keefe, and David Vanterpool, there are so many people who come from Oklahoma City and were with Oklahoma when Trae was growing up in Norman. So there is a ton of familiarity with people there. I think there was also real intrigue with Washington D.C. It is a huge basketball community that has an extremely passionate fanbase. There is an excitement in being part of a sleeping giant in that market and being a part of something special with the young talent that is already there.
Ever since the signing, there’s been different reactions to it. There’s been criticism to the length of the contract. There’s been criticism that that there’s going to be some role redundancy with some of the young guys. What is your view on what people are missing that share that criticism? Aaron Mintz: “When you look at the last two champions in this league, star players played the point-guard position. It’s the hardest position to find in this league. The Washington Wizards got one of the elite point guards in his prime to run their franchise with all of these young players. He pairs so perfectly with Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr. When you look at what Trae Young does with big men, to me, it is a no-brainer. Trae is one of the few players in the history of the NBA to average 20 points and 10 assists for multiple seasons. To me, this is a no-brainer move for both parties. Time will tell, but I’m excited for the season. I think Trae and this team are going to have a phenomenal year. Michael, Will and Trae are all going to look incredibly well once this season gets going.”
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At Fanatics Fest on Saturday at the Javits Center, Young, now with the Wizards, took the stage with a Jalen Brunson blue road jersey and attempted to rip up the Knicks star’s uniform. Young tugged on the jersey, though it merely stretched more than ripped before he tossed it into the crowd. The guard was also seen being booed by fans as he walked through the New York-hosted event.
NBA star and former Norman North High School and University of Oklahoma Sooner standout Trae Young announced Friday on social media that a second Young Family Athletic Center will be built near Yukon High School. The new facility will be part of a recently approved multi-million-dollar tax increment financing district in Yukon. This TIF district has faced some controversy, with some Yukon residents opposing large developments in the area.
Given the view you have as Trae’s agent, how did Trae Young’s extension with the Wizards come to be? Aaron: Mintz: “He made it known at the time of the trade that this was his preferred destination. He is with Travis Schlenk, who drafted him [in Atlanta in 2018]. With Michael Winger, Will Dawkins, Coach Keefe and David Vanterpool, there are so many people that come from Oklahoma City and were with Oklahoma when Trae was growing up in Norman. So there is a ton of familiarity with people there. I think there was also real intrigue with Washington D.C. It is a huge basketball community that has an extremely passionate fanbase. There is an excitement in being part of a sleeping giant in that market and being a part of something special with the young talent that is already there.
Aaron Mintz: We’ve already had some players there with our agency over the last couple of years. I’ve known everyone in that front office for a long time since everyone’s days in Oklahoma, Winger’s days with the Clippers, Travis Schlenk in Golden State and Atlanta. So I knew about the infrastructure they’ve built and how well-run that place is. So Trae went in with a ton of excitement. Then they added Anthony Davis. You can also just feel how thorough and how well-run that place is from every angle with front office, coaching staff, player development, medical, etc. Feeling that excitement and fanbase in that city further solidified what he thought Washington D.C. could be.
Aaron Mintz: Trae had a really great relationship with the Ressler family when he was in Atlanta and understood the importance of ownership. So when he was able to meet Ted [Leonsis] and see how elite of an owner that Ted is and how much he pours himself into that franchise and that city, that also spoke volumes to Trae. He was pretty much sold on everything regardless throughout the year. But once the Wizards got the No. 1 pick and drafted AJ Dybantsa, that added more excitement to an already incredible situation.”
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That contract raised a lot of eyebrows around the league. Young made $46.4 million last season, and there was no trade market for him at the deadline — Atlanta essentially salary-dumped him to Washington. The expectation around the league was that Young would sign an extension, but at a considerably lower per-year number. His value wasn’t there. Instead, the Wizards gave him a raise. Young heard all the talk and shrugged it off. “That ain’t nothing new. I mean, it isn’t the first time all this has gone on…" Young said. “I don’t really care about what other people think. You know what I’m saying? I only care about what the people in this organization think, my teammates think, and how we’re gonna get better and how we’re gonna find ways to win the game. So whatever everyone else has to say, I mean, it’s all irrelevant to me.”
“You have a mixture of both, that’s this makes great team,” Young said. “I mean, you can’t have a team full of just older players that can’t run. You can’t have a team with just young players that don’t know the game, been in those experiences. So you have a mixture of both.” These kinds of press conferences rarely yield real insights or news, but one thing that was clear from this event is that Young is excited to be in Washington and with this team. “Will (Dawkins, Wizards GM) said it, that’s the reason why you got to have guys like me and AD, because those young guys have shown that they’re ready to make that next step,” Young said. “And I’m just I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
ClutchPoints: "After I got traded, like it just felt like this could be my next home. ... When I heard there was a chance that I could come here, I was super excited [about] that possibility." Trae Young on his new contract extension with the Wizards.
Ohm Youngmisuk: Trae Young on what he was thinking when he watched AJ Dybantsa and the young Wizards summer league team last night: “I’m ready to play tomorrow after seeing them play last night. When you see what they did last night gives you more excitement.”
