The Washington Wizards committed a staggering amount of money, $212 million over four years, to star guard Trae Young in free agency. Last result: Cleveland Cavaliers 130-117 Washington Wizards (2026-04-12).
What happened?
Trae Young was named the most overpaid point guard in the entire NBA by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, citing his poor defense and declining percentage from beyond the arc as main reasons for his inclusion atop the list. The Washington Wizards didn’t have to surrender a single draft pick to land Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, a dead giveaway that the league didn’t value him as anything close to a star.
Why it matters for Washington Wizards
That makes Washington’s decision to hand him a four-year, $213 million extension all the more confounding, according to Hughes. Young has a track record as a powerful offensive engine, but his shoddy defense and history of rubbing teammates the wrong way cut against his value. Nobody else was going to pay Young like the Wizards did, and this contract has a chance to rate among the worst in the league if his three-point shooting, which hasn’t topped 34.0 percent in three of his last four seasons, continues to underwhelm.
What comes next?
Other overpaid point guards on Hughes’ list include De’Aaron Fox of the San Antonio Spurs and Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers. Ever since he put pen to paper on his new deal, Young has been popping up on lists this summer, with his contract named the worst overpay of the entire offseason by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report. It’s a stunner, and a head-scratcher, when Washington acquired Young in January for the bargain-basement price of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, it felt like the Wizards were being opportunistic and allowing their young core to take a test drive with a clearance star. Six months and five appearances later, that whole discount thing is long gone, according to Buckley. He is still really good on offense, but if he isn’t great on that end, then his limitations at the other grow a lot harder to handle, and the Wizards could have major regrets, especially when extension talks start happening with this fully loaded young core. Recent form has not been kind to the Wizards, with a record of 0W-0D-5L, and their last result being a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Young assuredly isn’t happy about popping up on these lists this summer, but the good thing about sports is that he’ll have an opportunity to go out and prove all of his doubters wrong next season. The Wizards will be looking to turn their season around, and with Young on their side, they will be hoping to make a push for the playoffs, and their fans will be eager to see how the team performs, and can check the team's fixtures and standings on our website.
