Trae Young Free Agency Landing Spots: Four Teams That Make the Most Sense for Star Point Guard

Trae Young will hit unrestricted free agency later this month after opting out of his contract with the Wizards. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards Miami Heat Brooklyn Nets Sacramento Kings

As the NBA world prepares for the draft and tries to keep track of every wild Giannis Antetokounmpo rumor flying left and right, Wednesday night brought some rather surprising news in the free agency realm.

ESPN’s Marc J. Spears was first to report the news that former All-Star point guard Trae Young was opting out of his contract with the Wizards to enter free agency. Young, 27, had a player option for the 2026–27 season worth $49 million but is choosing to hit the open market.

“Washington remains the front runner for the four-time NBA All-Star as he loves the team and D.C., but he still expects multiple team max interest,” Spears said.

Young was traded to the Wizards ahead of last season’s deadline by the Hawks. Injuries limited the guard to 15 games total; in five games with Washington he averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per game. It’s not so long ago that Young was seen as one of the top true point guards in the NBA and a team could build a top-10 offense purely around his talents. At this stage, however, his vision remains elite, but his scoring has steadily declined to the degree he should no longer be seen as a No. 1 or even No. 2 scoring option.

Which makes him a complicated free agency evaluation. But as Spears noted, Young expects to have teams interested in offering him big money. Let’s break down which teams would make the most sense as landing spots for Young’s talents, as well as why he would opt out of a guaranteed $49 million in the first place.

Why Trae Young opted out to hit free agency

For some it was shocking to see Young opt out of his deal. His contract was deadweight by the end of his time in Atlanta and the Hawks were so eager to get off it they traded a former All-NBA guard for salary filler and zero other assets. That reflects the league’s disinterest in paying small guards big money, especially small guards with a recent history of injuries—Young missed at least 28 games in two of the last three campaigns. The chances of him securing a $50 million per year deal in the open market seems miniscule.

So why would he opt out? Per Spears’s reporting, perhaps the odds of Young getting offered a big contract is higher than we think. Fellow NBA insider Marc Stein mentioned earlier this week that the point guard might garner interest from bad teams who want to avoid finishing with a bottom-three record next year in light of the new lottery rules. And even if he doesn’t get the same level of annual salary Young might just prefer to secure financial security right now at a lower price point instead of playing out next year on an expiring contract and taking his chances this time next summer.

Trae Young free agency landing spots

With our best attempt at an explanation of this move out of the way, here are the four teams that make the most sense for Young’s talents in free agency.

Washington Wizards

Young ending up back with Washington is the likeliest scenario right now. Brian Windhorst said on Get Up Thursday morning that Young’s trade to the Wizards “came with the understanding” that he’d decline his player option and the expectation now is that he’ll re-up on a “very large” three-year deal. Which all makes sense. Washington valued Young enough to trade for him at the deadline as a table-setter for a young roster lacking a ballhandler on his level. When paired with fellow trade acqusition Anthony Davis, the Wiz have two veteran players with playoff experience and completely different skillsets to help mold the youthful talents around them. The appeal of such a setup hasn’t changed since Young was acquired and bringing him aboard for more years at a lower price point is a logical setup for both sides.

Is Washington trying to compete for a title with Young at point guard? No. That would be a mistake. Instead they are hoping his skills will give some organization to their offense and makes life easier for the talent in the building, as well as the No. 1 pick in the ‘26 draft. For a team with a lot of money to spend, that is a great bet to make.

Miami Heat

Everything that’s happened so far was telegraphed back when Young got traded. But the Heat’s reported interest is a wild card. Young was named as a possible target for Miami by Stein earlier this week as a contingency plan for if the franchise whiffs on its pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Pat Riley is fond of bringing big names to South Beach and while Young is no Antetokounmpo he’d make for a good fit on the Heat’s roster. Miami scored a lot of points last year but didn’t do so efficiently, ranking 14th in offensive rating on the year, so that side of the ball needs some juice. Giving Bam Adebayo this kind of pick-and-roll partner could pay significant dividends too given we’ve never seen him play with a true point guard before.

If the Heat did pivot to Young, they’d have to make other moves. Playing him alongside Tyler Herro is a non-starter in terms of how badly the defense would struggle, and Young alone isn’t enough to get Miami out of the play-in zone the organization has occupied the last few years. It’s also unlikely Riley would want to give Young anywhere near “max” money given the point guard would improve but not completely change his team’s fortunes. Nevertheless they lurk as an interesting dark horse for his services and the only destination that would meaningfully impact the playoff picture.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have plenty of cap space and nothing to lose after another poor stroke of lottery luck stuck the franchise with the No. 6 pick in the draft despite a 20–62 record last season. Brooklyn already employs two veterans with larger price tags than they probably should have in the form of Nic Claxton and Michael Porter Jr., but neither are guaranteed to be on the roster next season. What’s more, neither offer the same benefit Young does as far as putting an experienced ballhandler on the floor who can set the table for the Nets’ collection of young talent.

Perhaps more relevant to this conversation: Brooklyn does not own its 2027 first-round pick outright. The Rockets have the right to swap picks no matter where it lands. There is no incentive to tank, in other words; even less than if the Nets did own their pick but had to battle the new lottery rules. If Brooklyn finishes with a great pick it’s going to Houston unless the Rockets (who finished fifth in the West last year) bottom out for some unforeseen reason. Signing a player like Young gives the Nets a steady hand to helm the offense to the benefit of their young players—and if it means they win some games, it doesn’t matter. That reasoning will apply to any free agent so Brooklyn figures to be in play for all sorts of talent this offseason but Young comes with the most obvious upside as far as impact on the roster.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have basically nothing going for them. They won just enough games to hurt their lottery odds down the stretch of last season and wound up with the No. 7 pick in the draft. They still owe $100 million to Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan next season. There is no young player on the roster worth building around. And if they finish with a bottom-three record next year, it’ll actually hurt their chances to land a franchise-changing talent. Sacramento may as well be in on the Young sweepstakes because what else can the organization really do?

Adding Young to the roster as it stands makes no sense. It very well might be impossible if he actually does demand max money. But presuming the Kings can find a way off those big veteran contracts (which they should be looking to do anyway), signing a veteran guard with a bit of showmanship to his game brings a lot of positives. Many are the same as above—the development of young talent is helped quite a bit by a good point guard. For Sacramento specifically, the immediate outlook is so dire that getting butts in seats might be an issue and so trotting out a former All-NBA talent could prove enough of a selling point that ownership demands a deal get done. If the Kings can clear their books in time they can offer Young a blank check, and probably would.

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Published Jun 18, 2026 | Modified Jun 18, 2026

LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'

Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.

The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.

Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.

But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.

'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.

'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'

The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.

Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'

A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs

Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts

But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'

A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.

'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.

Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.

'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.

'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.

'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.

'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'

'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.

'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'

Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming

Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.

The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.

Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.

They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.

Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.

Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'

Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad

The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year

Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'

Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'

But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.

Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.

He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.

Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.

Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.

Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.

It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.

An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.

An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million

In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.

In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'

After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.

The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'

Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.

'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'

Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.

Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.

Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'

Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.

And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.

A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.

'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.

'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.

It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.

Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'