It’s official: Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young has been traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guards CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, becoming the first major domino to fall ahead of what’s shaping up to be a busy NBA Trade Deadline.
Washington gets a high-usage star to build around amid another lost season, while Atlanta finally breaks away from an era defined by exciting highlights but underwhelming results. For fantasy basketball managers, the ripple effect is just as important — this isn’t just a star changing teams, it’s a sizeable shift in usage, opportunity and value.
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Let’s break down the fantasy basketball winners, losers and pickups from the deal:
🏆 Trade winners
Trae Young – Washington Wizards
Washington was the best landing spot for the four-time All-Star. He’ll get his extension, and with no established offensive hierarchy in Washington, he’ll instantly become the primary ball-handler, shot-taker and playmaker. Expect a boost in usage rate, north of 30% (he was down to 28% this season), along with plenty of nights with a high volume of points and assists. There’s second-round, per-game value potential the rest of the way in points leagues. For 9-cat, the turnovers and FG% will still hold him back. Either way, Trae will feast in the nation’s capital — just be aware the Wizards have a protected top-eight pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and it’s of the utmost importance. Expect some rest/maintenance days to ensure that’s never in question.
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Jalen Johnson – Atlanta Hawks
With Young gone, Johnson’s already expanding role grows even larger. He continues operating as their point-forward, leading the team in touches, while pushing toward nightly near-triple-double territory. He’s a first-round value across formats for the remainder of the season.
Just look at his on/off numbers with Young over the past two seasons:
Jalen Johnson has played better all-around basketball without Trae Young on the floor since 2024-2025.
(Statmuse)
One thing that got cut off in the graphic is that Johnson is a +41 without Trae, compared to -7 with him over that same duration. Either way, more counting stats and more W’s are on the way.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker – Atlanta Hawks
NAW came to the Hawks this summer, hitting the ground running as one of the best acquisitions from free agency. He’s already been a valuable two-way contributor, putting up career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3s and steals this season. McCollum will likely eat into some of his minutes, but Alexander-Walker will start and keep a similar workload that he’s seen since Young’s been out of the lineup.
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Wednesday’s trade locks in NAW as the Hawks’ secondary scorer and playmaker. He’s available in 49% of leagues, when he should be closer to 100% — especially after this news.
Alex Sarr – Washington Wizards
The player I’m most excited to see play with Young is Alex Sarr. The Wizards haven’t had a point guard capable of getting him easy baskets near the rim or utilizing his athleticism. I expect Trae will change that off the rip with plenty of pick-and-roll lobs to the second-year big man. Sarr’s already improved his FG% by 7% this year (thanks to better shot selection), but he could still use some help near the rim.
In 2025–26, Alex Sarr ranks in the 44th percentile among bigs in assisted field goals at the rim — indicating a moderate reliance on teammates to create his close-range scoring opportunities
(Cleaning the Glass)
Sarr is already top 50 in High Score, top 40 in points and top 30 in 9-cat formats, so while he’s a winner by getting to play with a true PG, he’s already been far exceeding expectations in his sophomore campaign.
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📉 Trade losers
CJ McCollum – Atlanta Hawks
McCollum moved from a rebuilding team to a playoff contender instantly. His veteran presence, combined with his playmaking and scoring, will be valuable to the Hawks’ backcourt. However, I don’t expect him to play close to 31 minutes as he did in Washington. The Wizards played him to net a bigger fish, and they did exactly that. CJ’s greatest asset is his expiring contract, so while he’ll play considerable minutes, fantasy managers can’t bank on him getting 19/3/3 in a reserve capacity.
With the Hawks clearly pivoting toward a youth movement, his minutes and touches may be inconsistent, especially as the team builds around Johnson, NAW, big man Onyeka Okongwu and two-way guard Dyson Daniels. I’d hold him in 12-team or greater leagues for now, but be ready to drop him if the minutes and production trend south. It feels like a better real-life basketball move that won’t carry the same weight for fantasy hoops.
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Bub Carrington – Washington Wizards
Carrington is a schedule-based, injury-replacement streamer at best. His efficiency woes make him hard to trust in 9-cat and while he can rack up counting stats when he actually plays, his rank in the pecking order falls once Young walks through the door.
He’s too inconsistent to be trusted unless Young gets hurt or sits for a few games for rest purposes.
↔️ Unchanged
Kyshawn George – Washington Wizards
George is still dealing with a hip injury, but his stability with the franchise is rock solid. He’s a foundational piece for Washington, and as he works his way back to the court, having a pure point guard should help him get out in transition and settle into more catch-and-shoot opportunities.
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George has shown a lot of growth initiating the offense this season — especially in pick-and-roll, where he’s playing with more pace, reading defenses and using his physicality to attack and create. Learning from a P-n-R wizard like Trae will help, even though it could reduce some of his time as the primary ball-handler. It shouldn’t go away altogether, though.
George doesn’t have a timetable for his return. If you have space for him on IL, I would pick him up or hold — he’s been too good this season.
Dyson Daniels – Atlanta Hawks
Daniels remains a versatile source of rebounds, assists and stocks in fantasy. His value ranges from 70-90 depending on the format, and that won’t change with Trae gone. Like Johnson, Daniels’ stats are better with Trae off the floor this season, particularly in scoring.
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More points, rebounds and assists but the same amount of steals, which are the most significant drivers of his value.
Post-trade pickups
Sharpshooting rookie Tre Johnson is the first name that came to mind because he will absorb a good portion of McCollum’s minutes at SG. A Trae and Tre backcourt sounds cool and the union will likely encourage more open looks for the rookie.
Put him on the watchlist for points leagues because his game is one-dimensional at the moment. Bilal Coulibaly is another player to watch, especially with Khris Middleton being next out the door.
