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Given the view you have as Trae’s agent, how did Trae’s extension with the Wizards come to be? Aaron Mintz: “He made it known at the time of the trade that this was his preferred destination. He is with Travis Schlenk, who drafted him [in Atlanta in 2018]. With Michael Winger, Will Dawkins, Coach Keefe, and David Vanterpool, there are so many people who come from Oklahoma City and were with Oklahoma when Trae was growing up in Norman. So there is a ton of familiarity with people there. I think there was also real intrigue with Washington D.C. It is a huge basketball community that has an extremely passionate fanbase. There is an excitement in being part of a sleeping giant in that market and being a part of something special with the young talent that is already there.
Given the view you have as Trae’s agent, how did Trae Young’s extension with the Wizards come to be? Aaron: Mintz: “He made it known at the time of the trade that this was his preferred destination. He is with Travis Schlenk, who drafted him [in Atlanta in 2018]. With Michael Winger, Will Dawkins, Coach Keefe and David Vanterpool, there are so many people that come from Oklahoma City and were with Oklahoma when Trae was growing up in Norman. So there is a ton of familiarity with people there. I think there was also real intrigue with Washington D.C. It is a huge basketball community that has an extremely passionate fanbase. There is an excitement in being part of a sleeping giant in that market and being a part of something special with the young talent that is already there.
Connie and Steve Ballmer today announced that they are launching three independent, locally led philanthropies in Southeast Michigan, Los Angeles County, and Washington State. The organizations, called MoveUp Southeast Michigan, MoveUp LA, and MoveUp Washington, will operate independently from Ballmer Group and will be funded by the Ballmers to support their ongoing work, continuing a shared mission: improving economic mobility for kids and families. Ballmer Group team members currently working in each region will transition to the new organizations over the next year. The shift reflects a deliberate move toward community-based philanthropies grounded in deep local connection with teams embedded in the regions they serve.
League sources tell The Stein Line that Washington has a level interest in Russell Westbrook. The nine-time former All-Star's final season of the four in his career in which he averaged a triple-double (22.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG and 11.7 APG) came in 2020-21 with the Wizards.
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Because the Wizards hold Young’s Bird rights, the Wizards had the latitude to offer Young up to a five-year contract with 8 percent annual raises. But Young’s new four-year deal instead features 5 percent year-over-year raises, the maximum year-over-year raise that any other team could have offered Young as a non-Bird free agent. For Washington, the difference between signing Young to 5 percent raises instead of 8 percent raises will amount to a total savings of $8.9 million over four years.
One potential target if Dallas were to trade down: Washington big man Hannes Steinbach. Sources say that Steinbach, whose father Burkhard played alongside Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki on the German League team in their shared hometown of Wurzburg some 30 years ago, is among the prospects to have worked out for the Mavericks under consideration for the No. 9 pick.
"The overwhelming expectations still remains that Trae Young is going to remain in Washington. I’ve been told that he really relished the warm welcome he received there post-trade deadline, Fischer said. " ... I do think he’s got a lot of enthusiasm for what the Wizards could do next season with the No. 1 pick, with Anthony Davis healthy, with Alex Sarr recovering well from offseason surgery. "We’ll see what actually comes to fruition in Washington, but I have been told to consider Trae Young as someone who is very much on the trade market right now, at least a name that other teams are looking at the trade market as of now."
The Wizards have played their cards close to the vest over the past few weeks, taking their time with the process and evaluating all four candidates atop the draft. Washington has narrowed its focus to Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, sources tell me and Charania.
A league source indicated this week that Washington has already met with North Carolina wing Caleb Wilson, another likely top four pick. Wilson did not work out for the team but met with team officials.
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On the U.S. Senate floor in Washington on Monday, Charles Schumer, Democrat from New York, said, “Tonight ought to be all about the game, the players and the fans. But Donald Trump wants to make tonight about himself, like he always does. “Midtown has to shut down. Bars near the Garden are about to take a huge hit on what should be their biggest night of the year. And free watch parties near the Garden have been canceled because Trump can’t bear letting anyone else be the center of attention for one night.”
Sources say that Washington is doing its due diligence and that the Wizards haven’t made a decision yet on who they’ll draft No. 1. But sources across the league believe that Dybantsa remains Washington’s most likely target. He is seen as having extremely high upside while also possessing a high floor.
But we are uncovering contrarian opinions over the course of the last 48 hours at the NBA Draft Combine, when the front offices of all 30 NBA teams, players, agents, and media are essentially clustered in the same gym and hotel for the entirety of the day. First, as it relates to Washington, I asked a high-ranking scout on one of the other lottery teams if they considered Washington's selection of Dybantsa a certainty and if that would impact their own preparation. I got a more direct response than I expected. "Absolutely not," the scout told CBS Sports. "We were surprised the broadcast made it seem like such a foregone conclusion."
Ainge is operating under the assumption that everything is on the table, including Dybantsa. “I doubt [Washington] decided who they want, just like we haven’t decided who we want,” Ainge said. “We will figure out who is one and two on our board and be ready. There are at least two good players in this draft.”