Sources: Hawks trading Trae Young to Wizards for McCollum, Kispert - ESPN

The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, sources told ESPN.

The trade ends Young's stint as the face of the Hawks franchise after seven-plus seasons and sends the 27-year-old to his preferred destination in the nation's capital to be the lead guard for the Wizards. Top Washington officials Michael Winger and Will Dawkins have searched for an anchor for their burgeoning young talent, and the franchise believes the trade is the next step in the organization's development process amid a rebuild. It also reunites Young with the Wizards executive, Travis Schlenk, who brought him to Atlanta in a draft-night deal in 2018.

The Hawks are now poised to turn the page to a new era with the emergence of Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher, bringing a much more fluid style of play around their wings and depth. McCollum serves as a valuable plug-and-play veteran leader for the Hawks while holding a $30.6 million expiring contract.

Moving Young also provides Atlanta with added financial flexibility to pursue a large salary over the next several months — with Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis as a prime trade target — ahead of an incredibly valuable first-round pick in June that's the more favorable between New Orleans' and Milwaukee's selections.

At 18-21 after Wednesday's home win against the Pelicans, Atlanta is ninth in the Eastern Conference, but the Hawks were 2-8 with Young in the lineup. Young's agents — Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown — worked with Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh on a trade over the past week. The Hawks and Young's representatives maintained dialogue about his