Overview
- ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Hawks and Young’s representatives have entered positive, collaborative discussions, with multiple outlets indicating a deal is likely within weeks.
- Marc Stein reports Washington has surfaced as a credible destination and that CJ McCollum’s expiring $30 million contract is being discussed as the salary centerpiece.
- Additional money would be required for Washington to match salaries, and it remains unclear whether Atlanta would need to include draft capital to complete such a construction.
- The Feb. 5 trade deadline provides the working window, focusing talks on executable frameworks rather than longer-term hypotheticals.
- League executives and recent reporting point to the second‑apron era and Young’s $49–50 million 2026–27 player option—reportedly expected to be picked up—as key factors depressing his trade value, with Atlanta’s stronger stretches without him reinforcing its willingness to pivot.