Washington Wizards star Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026-27 season and will become a free agent on Monday, according to reports.

The Wizards are believed to remain the frontrunner for the four-time All-Star but other teams are said to be interested.

The Atlanta Hawks traded Young to Washington on Jan. 7 in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. 

Young appeared in just 15 games last season, 10 with Atlanta and five with the Wizards after the trade. He averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 assists for the Hawks and 15.2 points and 6.2 assists with Washington.

 That came after Young led the NBA with 11.6 assists in 76 games in 2024-25, his last full season with the franchise where he spent the seven previous seasons after he was drafted fifth overall out of Oklahoma in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Wizards failed to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight season in 2025-26 and rank last in the NBA with just 50 total wins over the past three seasons.

But Washington added veteran big man Anthony Davis and has up-and-coming players like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson as well as the top pick in next week’s draft.

Whether the Wizards feel Young is a long-term fit with this core could influence how much the franchise competes for his services in free agency.

Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026–27 season, sources tell @MarcJSpears.

He will become a free agent on Monday. Washington remains the front runner. pic.twitter.com/FjP0cK34tN

— ESPN (@espn) June 18, 2026