RealGM Basketball Wiretap

19 January 2026

• Cam Whitmore Ruled Out For Season; Wizards Apply For Disabled Player Exception

  Washington Wizards forward Cam Whitmore has been ruled out for the season due to a blood clotting issue. Whitmore has already begun treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

  The Wizards have applied for a Disabled Player Exception for Whitmore, since he's now out for the remainder of the regular season. If approved as expected, the DPE will be worth approximately $1.7 million, which is half of Whitmore's salary for this season. Washington would be able to use that amount to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract with no options attached.

  In his first year with the Wizards, Whitmore appeared in 21 games. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 9.2 points on 45.6% shooting in 16.9 minutes per game. Whitmore will be under contract with Washington for $5.5 million for next season.

• Raptors Showed Interest In Trae Young, Could Target Ja Morant At Trade Deadline

  The Toronto Raptors expressed meaningful interest in Trae Young before his trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards and have now emerged as a potential destination for Ja Morant as the Memphis Grizzlies explore his market, sources said.

  Toronto was one of only two teams beyond Washington to engage in substantive discussions regarding Young before he was dealt to the Wizards. The Raptors have been characterized by rival executives as one of the most active franchises pursuing a significant trade acquisition ahead of the February 5 deadline.

  The franchise has also pursued Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings in recent weeks. However, their interest in elite point guards appears particularly strong given their pursuit of Young and reported monitoring of Morant's situation.

  The Raptors rank 12th in the NBA in net rating. The organization appears motivated to upgrade their roster with an elite talent to accelerate their competitive timeline.

  Any major trade Toronto completes would likely include RJ Barrett as the centerpiece going out. The Raptors would also need to include either Jakob Poeltl or Immanuel Quickley to match salary in a deal for a major con player.

  The emergence of Jamal Shead has been critical for Toronto's backcourt depth. His development has provided the Raptors with additional flexibility in trade discussions involving their veteran guards.

  Barrett has been productive this season but represents Toronto's most valuable trade asset with a contract that can facilitate a significant deal. Poeltl provides veteran presence at center while Quickley offers scoring and playmaking off the bench.

  The Raptors' aggressive pursuit of multiple high-profile targets suggests the front office believes the current roster is close to contention with one transformative addition. Their focus on dynamic point guards like Young and Morant indicates a desire to add elite playmaking and scoring to their backcourt.

• Trae Young Out Until After All-Star Break With MCL, Quad Injuries

  Trae Young is recovering from MCL and quad injuries on the same leg and will be re-evaluated after the mid-February All-Star break, sources told ESPN. The Washington Wizards are taking a cautious approach with their new trade acquisition as he works back from the injuries.

  Young has played in only 10 games this season and is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in 28.0 minutes.

  Washington owes the New York Knicks their 2026 first-round draft pick, but it carries top-eight protection. If the pick lands within the top eight selections in the draft lottery, the Wizards retain it and the Knicks receive two second-round picks instead. This situation incentivizes Washington to finish with one of the league's worst records to preserve their valuable lottery selection.

  The Wizards acquired Young to serve as their franchise anchor, but his injury timeline means he will miss significant time during his first season in Washington.

  Young's absence allows Washington's young players additional development opportunities while potentially improving their draft positioning. The combination of tanking incentives and injury recovery creates a situation where the Wizards benefit from patience with Young.

  The 26-year-old guard has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season and becomes Washington's cornerstone as the franchise looks for its young core to develop. The Hawks declined to offer Young a contract extension in the offseason, which led to his eventual trade to the Wizards.

  Young is currently the 10th highest-paid point guard in the NBA based on annual average value. He is not expected to command a max contract on his next deal, sources say.

• Trae Young Wants To Experience New Team, City Before Talking New Contract

  Trae Young is still adjusting to having been traded to the Washington Wizards. He's excited for the new opportunity in Washington, but doesn't want to think too much about his next contract before he's experienced his new team and city.

  "I'm obviously always where my feet are, especially now. My feet are all here right now. I obviously have a player option this summer. I just want to enjoy the city. Right now, who knows what that would be? It's a good chance. You never know if I'll be here or not. But for me, I like the people around here, obviously. Really, really like the people around here from front office, all those guys being from OKC and the people I just met around here," Young said about staying with the Wizards long-term. "But I want to figure out more about the city and stuff like that before I even want to get thinking about that. I want to just be around my teammates and all that stuff before an extension."

  Young said he was "disappointed" that the Hawks didn't offer him a contract extension, but that's he's excited to move forward with the young Wizards.

  "I looked at it as kind of similar to the situation I came in as a rookie. But I'm 27 years old now. I'm a vet and I know a lot. I know how to bring these young guys along maybe a little bit faster than what they have even been expected to in their games. I want to surprise people," Young said about his plans with joining Washington. "I don't even want to talk too much about it. I want people to be surprised when they see how much I bring out of these younger guys and the potential that they have. I'm just trying to speed up that potential as much as I can each day."

• CJ McCollum Says Wizards Are 'Doing Things The Right Way'

  C.J. McCollum had nothing but good things to say about the Washington Wizards after learning the team was trading him to the Atlanta Hawks. McCollum and teammate Corey Kispert are headed to Atlanta in exchange for Trae Young.

  "Loved my time in DC. Organization was great to my family and I. Michael Winger and Will (Dawkins) did everything they said they would and kept their word from the very beginning," McCollum said. "Love the city and they're doing things the right way over there. Exited to get to The A and get to work. Very familiar with their style of play. Love the ownership group and front office. Good group of players."

  The Wizards are in the middle of what their leadership has termed as a multi-year rebuilding process. Washington has traded for several veteran players over the last few years, but has either re-traded them or worked a buyout to allow those players to join more competitive teams. This is expected to play out with Khris Middleton as well, either at the trade deadline or possible after via a buyout.

• Wizards Will Take Cautious Approach Bringing Trae Young Back From Injury

  The Washington Wizards will re-evaluate Trae Young and will take a cautious approach to his availability, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

  Young recently returned to the court from a sprained MCL, but is now out with a quad injury.

  The Wizards acquired Young on Wednesday for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The Wizards currently have the fourth worst record in the league at 10-26.

• Wizards Acquire Trae Young From Hawks For CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert

  The Washington Wizards have agreed to acquire Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. No future draft compensation will be exchanged between the Wizards and Hawks as part of the trade.

  Young's agents, Aaron Mintz, Rayford Young, Austin Brown and Drew Morrison alongside general manager Onsi Saleh of the Hawks have been working on a trade to end his tenure with the franchise over the past few days. Young has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season and becomes Washington's anchor as they look for their young core to take their next step. The Hawks elected not to offer Young a contract extension in the offseason, which precipitated his eventual trade.

  Young is currently the 10th highest paid point guard in the NBA based on annual average value and is not expected to command a max contract on his next deal.

  Young has played in only 10 games this season and is averaging just 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in 28.0 minutes as Jalen Johnson has become the focal point of the franchise.

  "Trae Young wanted to be a Washington Wizard," said Shams Charania.

  The Hawks create significant financial flexibility with the trade of Young as McCollum is on a $30.7 million expiring contract. Atlanta could pursue a player on a large salary over the coming months with Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks considered a prime in-season trade target.

  Kispert signed a four-year, $54 million contract extension with the Wizards in October 2024 and is signed through the 2028-29 season. Kispert has appeared in 19 games this season, averaging 9.2 points on 39.5 percent three-point shooting in 19.5 minutes.

• Trae Young Has Wizards As Top Choice With Sides Having 'Traction' On Deal

  Trae Young has the Washington Wizards as his preferred destination as he works with the Atlanta Hawks on his exit from the franchise via trade. The Wizards are the only team with known interest in Young at this time.

  "There is traction on a deal," said Shams Charania on NBA Today.

  The Hawks have also conducted trade talks on other multiple fronts.

  Young has a $49 million player option in the offseason that would either make him an expiring contract, or he can opt out and sign elsewhere in free agency while the Hawks would create approximately $40 million in cap space.

  Young has been Atlanta's franchise player since 2018 when they traded down from No. 3 with the Dallas Mavericks to select him instead of Luka Doncic. Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, but the results have been mixed in recent seasons. Young was an All-NBA selection in 2022.

  Young missed several weeks earlier this season with a right MCL sprain and is now out with a right quad contusion.

  Former Hawks executive Travis Schlenk is now in the front office of the Wizards alongside Michael Winger and Will Dawkins. Young could help bring along the Wizards' young core with his ability to generate offense as a playmaker.

• Trae Young Has Interest In Wolves, Nets; Neither Team Pursuing Trade

  Trae Young's camp has proposed the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets as attractive trade destinations as he and the Atlanta Hawks work on his exit, but neither team are currently interested in a deal.

  The Wolves have a clear need at point guard as Rob Dillingham has been unable to emerge as a successor to Mike Conley Jr. However, the Wolves would need to send out substantial salary that would compromise their rotation in order to acquire a high-salaried guard such as Young. Minnesota is prioritizing a more affordable guard.

  Brooklyn controls their own first round pick this season, but they won't in 2027. The Nets haven't signaled any interest in making an in-season trade that would potentially improve their team immediately. Also, the Nets haven't provided any signals that they have interest in Young specifically.

  The Sacramento Kings have also been speculatively linked with Young in the past, but that no longer is the case under Scott Perry. Zach LaVine's representatives at Klutch Sports reportedly tried to build support for a trade of their client to the Hawks for Young in the offseason, but the Kings weren't interested.

  The Washington Wizards have been the only team confirmed to have interest in acquiring Young.

• Hawks Waiting To See If Any Teams Beyond Wizards Emerge For Trae Young

  While the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards have indeed engaged in serious discussions on a Trae Young trade, an actual agreement may not materialize quickly ahead of the deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer. The Hawks want to see whether another team emerges with interest in acquiring Young closer to the February 5th trade deadline.

  But there have been no other publicly confirmed teams with interest in trading for Young at this point beyond the Wizards.

  Sources also tell Fischer that the Wizards have been monitoring the possibility of acquiring Young ever since he and the Hawks didn't agree to an extension in the offseason. The Wizards currently project to have $80 million in cap space during the 2026 offseason and their ability to reach the salary cap floor is being monitored by rival cap strategists.

  "They have to spend that money somewhere," one rival league executive said.

  The Wizards have a need at point guard and a general lack of excitement amongst their fan base for the current state of the roster that Young could help alleviate.

  Young has a $49 million player option and it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to decline it for a longer term deal at a lower annual average value. Young would likely need a multi-year contract worth more than $100 million to consider it.

  Young's representatives have proposed the possibility of the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves, but neither team appears interested at this juncture.