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Oh No He Didn't: Darren Collison's darkhorse team in the east: "Washington Wizards. I know I sound crazy right now. Wizards are gonna surprise a lot of people in the east for this simple reason: I think Trae Young is gonna have a really good season...he has a lot to prove. I think Anthony Davis, his ability to protect the paint and be that force down low is gonna take a lot of pressure off of AJ just to be the guy. AJ doesn't have to be the guy, AJ is gonna be an added asset...they have a lot of other players...they have depth. And I always feel that the teams with the most depth have the most success. So they have youth, they have veteran leadership, and they have two guys in Trae Young and AD who have been all stars, who have played at a high level in the playoffs. So that's the team that I'm looking forward to seeing this season"
Montrezl Harrell: I don’t know what the hell Washington is doing, to be honest with you. It doesn’t make sense. They got the young kid AJ Dybantsa, but he’s at the three. You bring over Deandre Ayton, but you already drafted the young kid Alex Sarr. Then you have Anthony Davis, but you have another center on the bench in Tristan Vukčević. Now you have four centers because you also have Jonas Valančiūnas. Your only backup to Anthony Davis right now is Anthony Gill, and then you have Trae Young with no legitimate two-guard playing. It looks like a disaster. Their starting five is Trae Young, Khris Middleton, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton. But when you look at that bench, you can beat them with that every night. It’s going to be something where the coach is going to have to coach that team. There is a lot of uncertainty down there. I don’t see them being in any serious conversation in the East. Maybe they can get into a play-in situation, but I don’t see them being a crazy East contender. I just don’t know what their team identity is.
From your perspective, was that game where Trae Young sent New York home as wild as everyone makes it seem? Danilo Gallinari: Trae played amazingly. I think that we got to the playoffs with so much confidence that, especially winning the first game in New York, gives you another boost of confidence, and we had the confidence that we could win against everybody.
James Ham: "The (Hoop Collective) trio talked about the fact that Sabonis is similar in a lot of ways to Trae Young. They are all-star level players, but they don't fit every team, especially due to their weakness on the defensive end. I would add in their weakness on the defensive end and their gigantic salaries, which is something that Trae Young faces as well. The Kings, of course, had been offered Trae Young at one point in exchange for Zach LaVine. LaVine to Atlanta and Trae Young to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings said no to that deal from what I know, very specifically according to a source of mine. They said no because they knew that the second he got off a plane, he would want an extension and the Kings were not fully prepared to be in the long-term Trae Young business."
As Norman North charged down the field to take the lead early in the first quarter of Friday’s Crosstown Clash game, a massive local celebrity approached the sidelines — with his entourage — to take in a game far too familiar. Trae Young, a former Norman North and OU basketball star, roamed the sidelines of the Timberwolves’ 45-18 win over Norman High in the city’s rivalry football game Friday at Harve Collins Field. Young, now a member of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, makes it a calendar event for him to attend every year.
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“Anytime I can come, I always try to make it,” Young said Friday night in an exclusive interview with The Transcript. “Because I can’t come every year and there’ll be a time maybe when I’m not able to be here every year, so right now while I can, I want to make sure I am able to come and show up.”
The Wizards have a lot of storylines this upcoming season. It's Dybantsa. It's Young coming off an injury and a massive new contract. It's the development of 2025 lottery pick Tre Johnson. But the experts are watching Anthony Davis. "It all comes down to him," a Western Conference executive said. "He's going to be playing for a contract or maybe playing to get traded. He's a game changer."
Ben Golliver: Star homecoming games in 2026-27 NBA season - Trae Young's Wizards at Hawks: Nov. 6 - Paul George's Celtics at 76ers: Nov. 10 - Tyler Herro's Bucks at Bam Adebayo's Heat: Nov. 18 - LeBron James's 76ers at Lakers: Dec. 25 - Jaylen Brown's 76ers at Celtics: Jan. 21 - Giannis Antetokounmpo's Heat at Bucks: Jan. 28 - Ja Morant's Blazers at Grizzlies: Feb. 6 - LaMelo Ball's Timberwolves at Hornets: Feb. 15
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.”
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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.”
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.
