While keeping a star on your team is important, sometimes it is possible to go too far to achieve that.
The Wizards locked down their new star point guard, Trae Young, to a four-year, $212 million contract on Monday, ESPN reported.
While it keeps Young in the nation’s capital, some NBA analysts, like ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, believe it is one of the worst contracts in the NBA.
“I think this is instantaneously one of the worst contracts in the league. I’m sorry I said that. I’m sorry I said it that way. I don’t mean to be mean,” Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast. “I don’t think they could trade this contract unless they attach the number one pick to it.”
For a rebuilding team, a contract like the one given to the 29-year-old Young is risky, with the final year of the deal being a $56.9 million player option.
All the risk would be forgotten if the Wizards quickly become contenders, as Washington also holds the No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft.
The Wizards will get a talented player at No. 1. The Post’s Zach Braziller has Washington selecting BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, who can make an immediate impact in the league, in his final mock draft.
The Wizards are hoping that this group of players can bring them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21 after finishing a league-worst 17-65 this past season.
Young joined the Wizards through a trade with the Hawks in January, but he only played five games for Washington before being shut down for the rest of the season due to injury.
When healthy, Young is one of the best guards in the league over his eight-year career by averaging over 20 points and 10 assists per game.
