Trae Young Lands 4-Year, $212.9 Million Wizards Max Deal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Trae Young Lands 4-Year, $212.9 Million Wizards Max Deal
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Summary
$212.9 million will keep Trae Young in Washington for four years, with a player option in the final season and a projected $49.5 million starting salary.
Washington moved to lock him up after concluding other teams would offer the 27-year-old a max contract, either outright in free agency or through a sign-and-trade.
The deal uses 5% annual raises instead of the 8% Bird-rights maximum, trimming about $8.9 million over four years while still preserving the Wizards' cap flexibility.
Wizards officials are betting Young's playmaking and scoring can accelerate a young core led by Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and the No. 1 draft pick, despite his defensive limitations.
Young played only five games after arriving from Atlanta, but Washington sees his age-28-to-31 contract window as safer than max deals that begin after a star's prime.