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News broke on Wednesday evening that Trae Young would be opting out of the last year of his guaranteed $49 million contract, as first reported by Andscape's Marc Spears. In doing so, he became a free agent this summer. He is one of the best options in a weak free agency class.
Young will almost certainly take a pay cut by passing up on that guaranteed $49 million for next season. His value isn't what it once was when he signed that original contract extension with the Hawks back in 2021. So why did he choose to pass up that big payday, and where could he end up?
Ranking Trae Young free agency destinations
1. Washington Wizards
It might seem crazy for Young to turn down $49 million. But the 27-year-old is seeking a multi-year deal. By opting out of his contract, he will probably earn less during the 2026-27 season but will secure a bigger overall deal.
Becoming a free agent doesn't mean that Young is leaving the Wizards. They remain his most likely landing spot by a significant margin. Marc Stein reported earlier in the month that Young expected to remain in Washington on a three-year, $120 million deal. ESPN's Brian Windhorst confirmed that statement on Thursday morning, noting that Young was likely to sign on a three-year, very large contract.
That structure could be beneficial for both sides. The Wizards would save significant money next season, and Young would get a big payday to stay in a place that he has said he wants to be at.
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2. Miami Heat
If the Wizards drag their feet on that deal, it appears as though Young does have some other options. Jake Fischer of the Stein Line reported on Wednesday night that the Heat could be a potential suitor for Young if they strike out on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Heat are looking to shake things up after being stuck in the middle. Young and Bam Adebayo would make an interesting pairing, with Adebayo theoretically being able to cover for Young's defensive issues.
Miami doesn't have the cap space to sign Young outright. They would need the cooperation of Washington in the form of a sign-and-trade, sending over significant salaries to make a deal work. The easiest construction would involve one of Tyler Herro or Andrew Wiggins.
3. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets do have the cap space to sign Young outright. They are expected to have around $48 million to work with. That is enough to sign Young without having to perform any significant salary cap gymnastics.
Brooklyn's current roster construction makes that idea somewhat unlikely but not impossible. The Nets drafted several point guards last season. Of that group, Nolan Traore stood out as a potential starter. They also have the No. 6 pick in this year's point guard-heavy draft.
Traore showed some very promising flashes last season, but the Nets still need a better point guard if they want to stay out of the relegation zone created by the new draft lottery rules. As of now, they project to be a bottom-three team next season. Young could get them out of that range, and they would only need to give up cap space in order to acquire him.
Is that price worth it for Brooklyn? The Hawks showed that it's difficult to build a high-level team around Young, but he did make them a low-end playoff team and could do the same for the Nets.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have the second-highest amount of cap space this summer, with $48 million to work with. Could they use that to pair Luka Doncic with Young?
The fit would certainly be awkward given that both players need the ball in their hands to be at their most effective. Austin Reaves will likely be retained as well, and he's another scoring guard that would need to soak up possessions. And signing Young with cap space would preclude the team from bringing back LeBron James on any sort of significant contract.
This one seems unlikely to happen due to the Lakers' lack of interest, but it's not impossible.
5. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have $54 million in cap space to work with this summer, which leads all teams. They traded for a franchise point guard two seasons ago, sending Alex Caruso to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey.
That trade was made under a different regime, and new executive vice president Bryson Graham does not have the same level of attachment to Giddey. If the Bulls did decide to make a move for Young, then Giddey would probably be moved to a different destination again.
As with the Lakers, those series of events are possible but seem unlikely. Graham came from an Atlanta front office that decided to move on from Young last year. He's seen firsthand the difficulties in building around the small point guard.
More likely, the Bulls will use their cap space to sign players that fit better with their current roster or take on bad contracts in exchange for draft picks.
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