Is Trae Young heading to Washington?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – January 7, 2026

Episode Theme:
Is Trae Young heading to Washington? This episode explores the big trade rumor surrounding Trae Young and the Washington Wizards, reviews standout NBA games (notably Lakers–Pelicans, Grizzlies–Spurs, and Timberwolves–Heat), and provides an in-depth check-in on the Wizards' and Magic’s current situations with guest reporter Josh Robbins.

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Main Topics and Segment Breakdown

1. Lakers vs. Pelicans & Trade Rumors

Timestamps: 01:43 – 03:18

• Lakers Rally for Win:
  The Pelicans led most of the game, but the Lakers, spearheaded by LeBron, overturned the deficit late.
  Zena Keda: “LeBron’s gonna LeBron. Luca… they cleaned it up at the end for sure.” (02:30)

• Trey Murphy’s Big Quarter:
  Trey Murphy exploded for a 20-point quarter, fueling speculation about his trade value. Dave DeFore: “Please trade for me, get me out of here, get me on the playoff team.” (02:39) Zena: Noted that Pelicans don't want to lose Murphy, but sees him as a top trade deadline option.

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2. Grizzlies Upset Spurs – Wimby’s Return

Timestamps: 03:18 – 08:36

• Short-handed Grizzlies Steal Win:
  Grizzlies won despite missing Ja Morant, Cedric Coward, and Zach Edey. Cam Spencer led Memphis with 21 points. Zena Keda: “That baseline jumper with like 36 seconds left… he was doing that all night.” (04:23-04:42)

• Jaren Jackson Jr.’s Versatility:
  JJJ matched Spencer’s 21 points; his ability to pull Victor Wembanyama away from the rim was crucial. Zena: “He did a really great job, I think, of pulling Victor Webanyama away from the rim... most teams haven’t been able to do that consistently.” (04:42-05:50)

• Victor Wembanyama’s Return:

  • Scored 30 points in 21 minutes off the bench, looking fully recovered.
  • Noted for a viral pre-game “crane kick” to unstick basketballs from the net (referencing the Karate Kid). Zena: “30 points in 21 minutes… that karate chop is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen.” (06:54-07:48) Dave: “What is he gonna do, block a jump shot with his foot?” (07:48)

• Spurs Offensive Issues:
  Grizzlies' defense limited De’Aaron Fox (4-of-18 FG), Stefan Castle (5-of-14 FG), and Dylan Harper (2-of-7 FG). Dave: “If you can handle those guys, it doesn’t matter if Wemby goes off… one guy just can’t beat you in the NBA unless he’s putting up 60.” (08:01-08:36)

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3. Timberwolves Blowout Heat – Are Minnesota Legit?

Timestamps: 09:35 – 15:45

• Wolves Crush Short-handed Heat:
  Wolves up to 6th seed at 24-13; recent form is strong (7 wins in last 10), but team remains inconsistent. Dave: “They also lost to the Nets... this has been the story for the last couple seasons.” (10:09-10:49)

• Team Identity and Energy:
  Zena: Praises team’s energy, bench celebration, and defensive effort, but notes past letdown games. “...they were disciplined, they were high energy, they were cheering for each other… and that's what you've really seen.” (10:49–12:18)

• Dante DiVincenzo and Bench Impact:

  • DiVincenzo’s shooting and defense stand out.
  • Nas Reed provides vital scoring off the bench; Timberwolves need bench offense when Gobert sits. Dave: “Nas Reed puts up 14 points, he’s plus 21 off the bench. Those are huge nights.” (12:40-12:55)

• Gobert’s Centrality & All-Star Case: Rudy Gobert labeled as keystone for Wolves’ top-5 defense. Dave: “It’s a top five defense and it’s because of Rudy Gobert… he is having an excellent season and one of the big problems has been the defensive drop off when he goes to the bench.” (12:27-12:39)

• Key Lineup Questions:
  Discussion about closing lineups & the balance between guards and bigs, notably where Nas Reed fits. Zena: “It's Randall and Gobert, right? It's working... they are outscoring opponents in the paint by 30 points.” (14:09-15:12)

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4. Wizards’ Improved Play & Trae Young Trade Rumors

Guest: Josh Robbins
Timestamps: 19:04 – 34:18

A. Wizards’ Recent Turnaround

• Wizards recently 7–5 in last 12; better defense and more cohesion post November team meeting. Robbins: “A lot of it stems from a team meeting… The team has shown more fight ever since. There have been other factors too… all of these individual improvements… in part because the players are holding each other accountable.” (20:36)

• Young Talent Stepping Up:
  Standout growth from Alex Sarr (23 pts, 8 reb, 4 blk), Bub Carrington, and others.
  Robbins: “The ball moves...they're putting in good effort on defense… they play at a tempo other teams… would die for.” (20:36-21:59)

• Veteran Influence:
  Arrival of CJ McCollum & Khris Middleton stabilizes and mentors the young core. Robbins: “CJ McCollum and Chris Middleton, with an assist from Marvin Bagley, called [the players' meeting]... part of it is the team is healthier.” (22:57)

• Culture Shift:
  Benching of Cam Whitmore for lack of effort sets new standards; players replacing him (Justin Champagnie, Will Riley, Jameer Watkins) play harder and bring others with them. Robbins: “A rising tide lifts all boats. And that has played a role here. I… you can’t convince me otherwise.” (24:54)

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B. Magic’s Injuries & Struggles

Timestamps: 25:29 – 28:53

• Team has underwhelmed, notably without Jaylen Suggs, Franz Wagner, and Mo Wagner (all injured).

• Jamal Mosley used bench unit to nearly rescue the game, sending a message about team effort. Robbins on Suggs:
  “He’s a straw who stirs the entire drink. He helps them get stops… there’s just something about the way he plays that changes things for them and they miss him terribly.” (26:53-27:06)

• Injury Updates:

  • Suggs: No set return date; out with MCL bruise.
  • Franz: High ankle sprain, not imminent.
  • Mo Wagner: ACL recovery, not expected back right away.

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C. Trae Young to Wizards? Deep Dive

Timestamps: 29:28 – 34:18

• Rumors Gain Steam:

  • Confirmed the sides (Atlanta, Washington, Young’s agents) have spoken, but trade is not imminent. Robbins: “Atlanta and Washington or Trae Young's agents in Washington… did have a conversation about this. I don't think anything is imminent.” (30:15)

• Assets & Value Discussion:

  • Washington would almost certainly not give up valuable picks; if anything, Atlanta may need to attach more assets to move Young. Robbins: “I cannot envision any scenario in which outgoing picks from Washington to Atlanta outweigh the incoming picks from Atlanta to Washington. Just can't...” (30:57)

• On-Court Fit:

  • Trae Young makes sense for Wizards offensively, especially for pick-and-rolls with Alex Sarr and spacing for shooters. Robbins: “It would be a godsend for Alex Saar in the pick and roll.” (32:48)
  • Defensively, the move would pose major problems.
  • The trade would function as a low-risk, one-year trial for Washington with salary cap flexibility if it doesn’t work.

• Dave DeFore Summarizes: “If it all hits, hey, you won the lottery. I think it's a good move...I still think Trae Young's a pretty good player.” (34:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grizzlies’ Cam Spencer:
  “That baseline jumper… that was the pickup hoops, short-corner jump shot you’re not allowed to take unless you’re Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic. And Cam Spencer just dribbled straight down into that thing.”
  — Dave DeFore (04:31)

• On Wemby’s Pre-Game Karate Kick:
  “That karate chop is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t care how many gyms I’ve been in, never would it occur to me, even if I was 7’5”, to do that.”
  — Zena Keda (07:02)

• On Timberwolves’ Improvements:
  “They were disciplined, they were high energy... that's what you've really seen over the last 10 games.”
  — Zena Keda (10:49)

• Josh Robbins on Wizards’ Culture:
  “A rising tide lifts all boats... when those three guys play, it elevates everybody else.” (24:54)

• On Trae Young Trade Value:
  “I cannot envision any scenario in which outgoing picks from Washington to Atlanta outweigh the incoming picks from Atlanta to Washington… If that were to happen, that would shock the living daylights out of me.”
  — Josh Robbins (31:20)

• On Trae Young’s Potential Fit in DC:
  “It would be a godsend for Alex Sarr in the pick and roll. Offensively it makes a ton of sense. Defensively it makes no sense.”
  — Josh Robbins (32:48–32:59)

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Episode Summary

This episode analyzes important recent NBA games (Lakers–Pelicans, Grizzlies–Spurs, Wolves–Heat), highlighting big individual performances and key moments, like Trey Murphy’s trade showcase and Victor Wembanyama’s dramatic return. Special guest Josh Robbins delivers robust reporting on the Wizards’ promising turnaround, the veteran impact of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, and changing standards of effort in DC. The show’s headline segment unpacks the logic, probabilities, and implications of a possible Wizards–Trae Young trade, ultimately framing it as a smart, low-risk upside move for DC if the deal doesn’t cost premium assets. The Magic’s injury woes are detailed, underlining their ongoing struggles and interlinked fortunes as the trade deadline approaches.

Listen for:

• Sharp banter, insightful breakdowns, and clear-eyed trade analysis in the fast, engaging style characteristic of The Athletic NBA Daily.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for January 7th. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Keda.

[Zena Keda]

Kyle.

[Dave DeFore]

Coming up, Wemby's back. But it didn't matter. The Grizzlies stole one. We're going to talk about that a little bit. And we got Josh Robbins to talk about the Wizards improved play as as of late and whether or not they're going to trade for Trey Young. Good morning, everybody. What's up, Xena?

[Zena Keda]

What up, Dave? How are you?

[Dave DeFore]

I'm not bad, not bad. You know, we had some, we had some games last night. I'm not going to say we had like great matchups going in. You know, I wasn't super excited, Al. Lakers Pelicans wound up being a little bit more entertaining than I maybe anticipated.

[Zena Keda]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

Lakers picking up a win when it looked like they were going to lose.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, Pelicans led for most of that game. And then, you know, LeBron's going to LeBron Luca. Definitely Luca. They cleaned it up at the end of the game for sure.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Trey Murphy had a 20 point quarter, which feels like, hey, please trade for me, get me out of here, get me on the playoff team.

[Zena Keda]

But the funny part was, is if you were listening to that game and listening to their announcers, you would have thought that they were making the opposite case. Like, look at this connection that Trey Murphy has with Derek Queen, who, by the way, almost got a triple double. Like he's continuing the Derrick Queen rookie saga that he's been on. Just being phenomenal. But yeah, no, it is. It's clear that New Orleans does not want to lose Trey Murphy, but that's okay. I think a lot of teams are very happy with wherever he ends up, him being an option on their trade deadline board.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Okay, let's. Let's swing it to Memphis because the Grizzlies. It was health night in Memphis and the Grizzlies didn't have John Morant, they didn't have Cedric Coward, and they didn't have Zach Eady. John. Yeah, it is pretty funny, right? Look, this team has been shorthanded quite a bit this year. You know, we're. We're still waiting for updates as far as, you know, Ed's availability and Ja has obviously been in and out all season long. But they go into this game and, you know, we found out the day of that Victor Wyama was going to be available. Obviously we, we dodged the scare. We all dodged a scare when he hyperextended his knee last week. And frankly, he looked awesome and scary coming off the bench. Zeni puts up 30 points. It's like he never missed any time, but he had that minutes limit and ultimately the Grizzlies were able to take advantage of it. 21 points from Cam Spencer.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, he was, he was the reigning hero, really. We've seen this whole, like, Pat Spencer, then Cam Spencer. Like they keep having these, like, emergent games.

[Josh Robbins]

Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

But he was definitely their hero. He. That baseline jumper that he had with like 36 seconds left, that was the.

[Dave DeFore]

Pickup hoops quarter, short corner jump shot that you're not allowed to take in the NBA unless your name is Shay Gildas Alexander or Nicole Jokic. And Cam Spencer just dribbled straight down.

[Zena Keda]

Into that thing, right into that thing. Created space for himself. Like, he was doing that all night. Really getting into the paint, getting right by the trees. Really, really impressive. I love the fact that Jaren Jackson Jr. Matched him with that 21 points. I think he has been a Focal point of what's going on with the Grizzlies. Like if he doesn't show up, they're as strong and as dominant as he likes to be when he's out on the floor. So he's definitely their baseline. And he showed up tonight. He did a really great job, I think, of pulling Victor Webanyama away from the rim, which is like, interesting because most teams haven't been able to do that consistently because the spurs like to keep him as low man, they'll switch out. But somehow Victor just kept getting pulled. Whether it was Santia Alama or Jaren Jackson Jr. Getting pulled away from the basket. And you know, he was able to provide something. Jock Landel, listen, I still, every time he plays, I'm like, it's crazy. He was sitting at the end of Houston's bench last year. Yeah, he comes in, almost has a double double, 19 points, nine rebounds. Just huge off the bench for them. And yeah, Santia Alama, low key, like clutch.

[Dave DeFore]

Really good season.

[Zena Keda]

Great season.

[Dave DeFore]

Really under the radar. Yeah, absolutely. And to your point about the way they were able to pull Wimby away from the rim, I mean, this is one of the advantages where you have a couple of stretch bigs able to play at a time. Whether it's Jiren and Alama playing together or with Landale, you have like, you've got to guard these guys outside of the three point line. You can't just have your base defense and just say, okay, we're going to rotate. I mean, it's just impossible with the way these guys shoot. Let's swing it to Wimy because again, he been injured. We worry about, you know, with, with a guy this size, what he might look like. And Zena, there was a moment before the game, like in the warmups where a bunch of basketballs got stuck in the net. You know how that happens during warmups, right? Like everyone, nobody's paying attention.

[Zena Keda]

Everyone's shooting at the same time. They all go in at once.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. I'm not sure if you guys are listening. Go and look at the video. But we're going to throw it up on the YouTube channel for sure. Wimby just jumps up and sort of does a crane kick, like Karate Kid style to unstick the basketballs. So look, I'm just thinking this guy's healthy.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, he looks good. The fact, I mean, you already rattled off the numbers. He did 30 points in 21 minutes. I don't think you mentioned that part about it.

[Josh Robbins]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

Like, that's crazy that he was Just out there for 21 minutes. But that karate chop is the most insane thing I've ever seen. I'm gonna tell you right now. I don't know how many gyms I've been in, how many games I have seen, been a part of, warmed up for. Never in my mind, Even if I was 7 5, 7 6, whatever we put, would it occur to me to fully karate chop the balls out of the net. And the funniest part was, is when you look at the comments, someone found a picture of Kareem Abdul Jabbar also doing the karate job. Not for the ball, but just in general for the kick. And I'm just like, what is this kid? Who is this guy? Like, what. What's going on with Victor Webanyama? But yeah, just continues to. We're gonna find a way to see that in a game.

[Dave DeFore]

Him like, no, I don't know if I can't come up with a use for the Crane kick. I mean, what is he gonna block a jump shot with his foot? I mean, I guess he.

[Zena Keda]

I don't know. You could. That's what I'm saying. If it's Jose Alvarado, like going in there, you never know.

[Dave DeFore]

You know, Alvarado, we know he's not scared of a guy who's tall. Gotta say, look, the Grizzlies also, they did a good job of, of holding. Like, we've been talking about the spurs guard play all year. The Grizzlies did a good job. You know, Stephan Castle, dear. And Fox. I mean, 4 of 18 for De' Aaron Fox, 5 of 14 from the field for Stefan Castle and Dylan Harper, 2 of 7 from the field. So I mean, if you can handle those guys, it doesn't really matter as much if Wemby goes off because like, the secret is like one guy just can't beat you in the NBA unless he's putting up, you know, 60. I mean, if it's Jokic, I guess he can do it. But Wemby isn't quite there yet.

[Zena Keda]

He. And that's. I just had this conversation off the pod, just talking to folks about Wemby. And it was after Jaylen Brown said that he was the best two way player, right? And I think we had discussed it and then I brought it up in a different conversation with someone else and people were like, well, wait, wait, would Victor Wembanyama have a word in that conversation? And I was like, I just don't. I haven't seen him be consistent enough on offense for me to just fully you know, buy into him being one of the best two ways. He is the most like ridiculous, like, not real two way player we've ever seen, but it's just not consistent enough. And so I think you're making a great point of just like, we gotta see that Victor can do this night in, night out and also utilize his strength night in, night out. Like, he shot the ball outside as well as, you know, scored inside this tonight. But we've seen nights where he, he looks uneven inside the paint. But, you know, obviously last night was not one of those.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I mean, he Again, 30 points in 21 minutes is kind of crazy coming off the bench. Let's talk about the Timberwolves, because they look, they blew out the Heat 12294 last night. The Heat are just not really very good. Right. This is an Eastern Conference playing team. But the Wolves are confusing. They're currently the sixth seed, but they're only a half a game from being the 3 seed. And Xena, look, they're 24 and 13. And you go back and you look like There's. They've won seven of their last 10. Well, what does it look like? They beat the Thunder, they beat the Knicks. Those are good wins.

[Zena Keda]

Huge wins.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, but they also lost to the Nets, period.

[Zena Keda]

There it is.

[Dave DeFore]

They lost the Hawks. And this has kind of been the story with this team for the last couple seasons. They have a good win. I mean, they've, they've been playing better basketball, right? Like, give them Credit. You win seven of 10, yes, you're playing better. But what does it look like when they play against the big teams again? They, they did get that win against the Thunder. They got that win against the Knicks. They lose a tight game against the Nuggets, and then, you know, there's a little bit of a letdown, I think, in, in that Nets loss. So maybe I'll give them a pass for that. But what do you make of the Timberwolves right now? I mean, are they good or not? Like, is this a good basketball team?

[Zena Keda]

I think they are. I think they are a good basketball team. I. I was gonna say, like, Coach Dave is being really kind here by giving them the pass after the Christmas Day loss. You would think that that would be the thing that revs them up rather than, you know, oh, we were down, you know, in sorrow over those spiritless losses that they had. Really. They. And that's the thing. When you look at that Brooklyn game in those Atlanta games, like, they had no spirit. And then you looked at the way that they played against Miami, they were disciplined, they were high energy, they were cheering for each other. I mean, Julius Randle had a ridiculous, ridiculous 3 that at the end of the game, Anthony Edwards saying to Zora Stevenson, like, I didn't know he had that in his game. Like they were just having a good time. And that's what you've really seen over the last 10 games where they've gone seven of three where they've been able to be top 10 and the amount of points that they've scored and the defense that they've played, they've been really, really disciplined. And you've gotten a lot of big performances out of some peripheral players that have been a little bit rocky, particularly from an offensive perspective, like Dante DiVincenzo putting up some good numbers lately. We know Jaden McDaniels can do what he does and. But he's been really good two way as well. There's. There's been more than just ant being produced. Rudy, the hate for Rudy. I really, I haven't heard much of it, which I'm happy about because he does exactly what Minnesota needs him to do. B. Getting them extra possessions. Like the amount of times he's batting stuff out, he's not going to be the guy that you're like trusting to finish in transition.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Zena Keda]

He protects the rim well. He gets some opportunities and, and that matters the fact that he. They can dominate the paint. Like I mean they.

[Dave DeFore]

That's a top five defense and it's because of Rudy Gobert. Listen, I don't want to be the guy who's like, hey, Rudy Gobert, defensive player of the year. Because I think that they did enough of that on broadcast and we're probably going to see enough of that on social media.

[Zena Keda]

Fair, fair, fair.

[Dave DeFore]

But he is having an excellent season and one of the big problems has been the defensive drop off when he goes to the bench. And so like this is where games like last night, Nas reed puts up 14 points. He's plus 21 off the bench. Those are huge nights.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, and n. Yes, that's. That's really the.

[Dave DeFore]

If you're not going to have the defense coming off the bench, you've got to have the big time offense. So Nas Reed, you know, scoring. You're talking about DiVincenzo shooting the ball better. I. I'm not sure where they wind up with their best lineup if they don't wind up making a move. But I feel pretty confident that DiVincenzo is going to be with the closers. I I just don't see how you keep his. I mean, his shooting's too important. He doesn't fold as a defender. I mean, he's a pretty good defender. And I do think that you need that extra spacing out there. There going to be short a ball handler maybe this is if they don't go make a move. But I do think like DiVincenzo, especially when you look at the way he's playing now. I mean, you could see playoff time like they, they're going to need his spacing.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, they, they locked down Miami particular. I mean, it was like it was close to start the game. You were seeing, you know, back and forth and then things just got really clogged up and it was Divincenzo on the perimeter. And for someone that's as quote unquote undersized, like he's not very tall. But we know other teams really struggle that they don't have wing depth and wing perimeter defensive positioning. And he, like you said, he doesn't fold. He's not easily bullied and bruised out on the perimeter. And he really just made things very difficult. I think for one outlet passes for the Miami Heat, they could not get up the floor the way they like to get up the floor because they were, they were just being hounded early in the back court and they just couldn't see as well in the half court. And so I, I think the Vincenzo is going to close with guys. I think the fact that he is a microwave scorer, he can, he can go on streaks where he's not shooting well, but when he is on, he is great in transition. He is, he's, he's part of why they had that boost in the third and fourth quarter, energy wise. And I don't want to get away from DiVincenzo. But I do also want to say on going back on the Gobert thing, yeah, it's, it's Randall and Gobert, right? It's working. Oh yeah, it's clicking and it's. You're, you're getting what you need out of them. Double doubles, of course, the blocks from, from Gobert. But also they're outscoring opponents in the paint, like, yeah, by 30 points. Like they're dominating on top of also protecting the paint. So that's also another factor that I don't want to forget.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, Randall, again, like, he might be an all star this year. He's been so good. And, and if he doesn't make the all star team, he, this season's probably going to go a little bit overlooked by him. But yeah, they, I mean, look, they, they've got the guys. It's just. Can it all come together by the time we get to the playoffs? Which I don't know. I feel like you still would.

[Zena Keda]

You still still have. This is a good question because we've seen this change throughout the playoffs in the last few years and it's part of why Nas reed got that $125 million extension. Do you see Nas Reed coming off the bench?

[Dave DeFore]

Oh, for sure. I just don't think right. I. Yeah, I think you got to have another guard. Yeah, it's moving him like playing the three bigs, which I know a lot of people have kind of flirted with out loud where it's Nas Reed and Randall and Gobert together. I just don't think that works nearly as well as people think it might. I agree the defense on the perimeter would, would be pretty rough. But you know, I don't know. They've got, they've got guys. It's just making it all work. Speaking of having guys, we got our guy Josh Robbins after the break. And talk about the Wizards big win over the Magic. And if they're actually gonna trade for Tray Young.

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[Dave DeFore]

You know, we were just talking about how the Orlando Magic have kind of had a disappointing season so far. Xena, you know, like we had this big expectation home court advantage in the playoffs, and it's another season that's been mired by injuries and then they lose games to the Washington Wizards that we just don't expect. They lost last night to the Wizards 120 to 112. Here to talk about it, our guy that covers both these teams, this was the Josh Robbins Derby, hot on the heels of the James Edwards Derby last night. Josh Robbins is here. Josh, welcome. Happy New Year.

[Josh Robbins]

Happy New Year. I'm still in the media workroom. I was putting the touches on a story that's going to come out today, probably has already been published by the time this goes online. Happy to be here. Happy to be here.

[Dave DeFore]

Happy to have you. Happy to see the Wizards playing better lately. They pick up the win over the Magic 7 and 5 in their last 12. And I actually think that you, if you go back and if you're a Wizards fan, you go back and watch this game against the Magic again. It sort of encapsulates the last 11, 12 games for them. I I think you saw Bilal Kula Bali's defense when he was guarding Paolo Banchero and really caused him to get off to a bad start in the game. You've seen Alex Sar this season growth and I think especially over here the last few weeks, he puts up 23, had eight rebounds, two assists and four blocks in the game last night. So what's going on with the Wizards? Why do they look so much better here lately? Are they just playing harder and shots are falling, or do you feel like.

[Josh Robbins]

There'S something different Well, I think there's all of that. There's all of that. I think a lot of it stems from a team meeting they held in mid November I that came right after a very bad loss to the Brooklyn Nets here in Washington. And the team has shown more fight ever since. There have been other factors too. All this, all the individual growth that you just alluded to. SARS work in the off season, Bub Carrington's shooting, which is now, he's now in the 40s for three point shooting. All of these individual improvements are congealing in part because. In part because the players are holding each other accountable. That's a part of this. C.J. mcCollum has recovered from a slow start with a new team. He's playing very well on offense and this team now just makes a whole lot more sense than it did a month ago. They're playing in the way that the coaches in the front office hopes they will play. The ball moves for the most part. They're putting in good effort on defense, although there are lapses. They play at a tempo that other teams, the magic, one of them would die for. Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

So things are.

[Josh Robbins]

So things are working well for them and they're playing guys who make sense and who make their teammates better.

[Zena Keda]

I'm happy you mentioned the guys that make sense and make their teammates better. We watched this game and I'm literally texting Dave and our crew and being like watching the Washington Wizards is like watching like a legends all star like C.J. mcCollum is a little bit older, but he's still flashy, still doing really fun stuff. Of course, Chris Milton was right alongside with him, alongside these young guys. And we know that bringing in Chris Middleton and having CJ McCollum was supposed to be the change to add a little professionalism and a little veteran ship into this young core of group of guys. But what's been the change that has kind of propelled everyone up or given some guys a little bit of an avenue to showcase? I mean, I didn't expect to see Trey Johnson compilation videos as of late, but I have like, there's just been a little bit more buzz. What's been the change?

[Josh Robbins]

Part of it is, is that the team is healthier. Trey Johnson among them, Bilal among them. Keyshawn George is hurt right now. The players only meeting. Who called that meeting? I believe it was CJ McCollum and Chris Middleton with an assist from Marvin Bagley, who actually is now a veteran, certainly a veteran on this young team. And then in early December, Cam Whitmore was benched. And I just want to be clear. Cam Whitmore was not the reason the Wizards got blown out by the Boston Celtics on Dec. 4. He's not the reason why the team has a losing record. He is one of many reasons for all those factors. But on that specific night, after extensive coaching over a period of weeks, he was playing in a more lackluster fashion than his teammates. He didn't get back well on defense. The tunnel vision that is typical of his offensive game continued and he got benched. Yeah, there's this. That's the stand. Those are the standards Brian Keefe was referring to. Not any on off court stuff, not any off course. Again, I'm not saying that benching Cam Whitmore, getting moving him off of his minutes, just totally change the team. What I am saying though is that the people who took his minutes have played in such a way that they've elevated everybody else. So Justin Champagne is pound for pound the best rebounder on the team and would be pound for pound the best rebounder on many teams. He plays every possession as if his career depends on it. And when you play like that, other guys have to step up their own games. They're playing a rook now. Will Riley has a lot to learn. He's a rookie drafted like somewhere around 1921, something like that. But he too plays as hard as he possibly can. For a time they were actually playing a second round draft pick named Jameer Watkins, who's the most physical defender they've got. And when those three guys play, it elevates everybody else. It elevates Buck Carrington. It's had an effect on Koulibaly, it's had an effect on Saar. And so a rising tide lifts all boats. And that has played a role here. I. You can't convince me otherwise.

[Dave DeFore]

Let's swing into Orlando because, you know, you also cover them and their starting lineup, which obviously is missing. Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner right now, was boat raced. This game isn't close. If it wasn't for a bench unit comeback, which Jamal Mosley, I give him credit for this. He stuck with the guys that got him back in the game to close it out. I think that, that actually you got to send messages like that at some point to, to your team if you feel like the effort's not there. But I want to start with updates on, on Jaylen Suggs and Franz Vagner. Suggs, I mean, I. They don't expect him to be out long, but this team is Totally different when he's not out there. They're now 6 and 8 without him this season. And you talked about the pace. I mean, it's just night and day difference in pace. So when Suggs coming back and then after that. Tell me when Franz is coming back because they need both of those guys.

[Josh Robbins]

And they sure as heck could also use Mo Vagner as well, so. So we'll get to them. There's no obvious return date for Jalen Suggs. He's dealing with a bruised MCL in one of his knees. That's after a contusion to one of his hips sustained during the NBA cup semifinal, which we were. We were together, the three of us.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, we were.

[Josh Robbins]

Plus our boy Andrew Schleck. NS are both of our guys. Yeah. But forget about us. Let's talk about the actual NBA.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Josh Robbins]

Yeah. Jalen Suggs is the force multiplier. He's. He's a straw who stirs the entire drink. Now.

[Zena Keda]

I love that saying, and it's so true about him specifically, that is. Yeah.

[Josh Robbins]

God bless you, Z. Thank you for boosting my ego. There's just something about the way he plays that is. That has a carryover effect for everybody else. You know, he helps them get stops, of course, which ignites their offense, and their offense is far at its best when it's in transition and. But there's just something about the way he plays that changes things for them and they miss him terribly. That's. It's been a very big loss for. For them. And he's not doing any on court contact stuff yet, so he might be out for a little while longer. He was doubtful for Tuesday's game and then was ruled out during the day. As for Franz and Mo, so Franz added high ankle sprain. I believe he suffered it on December 7th in New York. Mo Wagner tore his ACL on December 18th, 2024, so he's now getting close to 13 months. Both of the Wagner brothers had one hour individual workouts here in Washington on Tuesday. Those workouts went well and yet their returns are not necessarily imminent. I do not expect them to play tonight in Brooklyn. Does not seem like they are certain to play Friday in Orlando. As a matter of fact, I was kind of. I was. It's at best, it seems unlikely that they will play on Friday. I expect them to play before the team goes overseas. After all, that's one of the reasons why they are playing in Brooklyn. To show off the Wagner brothers in Berlin.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, that's right. In Berlin.

[Josh Robbins]

Yeah, Berlin, not Brooklyn. And Tristan De Silva, who also plays for the reigning European champs. So I certainly know the Wagners would love to have played before they go back home. And the team needs those guys desperately because they're not playing well now. That's, that's to put it pretty kindly. Pretty kindly. They were awful tonight. They, they were awful Tuesday night.

[Zena Keda]

They looked lost from the beginning. It was, it was interesting to see the pace that they typically like to play up and down the floor. Be kind of dominated by Washington overall, though, with Orlando. I think. I think we just have to figure out health for them. But let's get to one more team and we're going to Atlanta for this one because we've, we've been hearing these rumors around the Trae Young situation. Of course, it gets announced, which is so hilarious to me, like shout out agents for doing your work. It gets announced that conversations are being had around moving Trey Young. What do you know? What's the validity to this? Like where, where could he go? What could happen?

[Josh Robbins]

Atlanta and Washington or Trae Young's agents in Washington? Either one or the other, maybe both did have a conversation about this. I don't think anything is imminent. I don't think anything is going to be definite. Is Washington a possibility? I would say it's a possibility in part because Washington would have very little to lose. I seen it read, I've seen it written in some sites that Washington would give up draft capital to acquire Trae Young. I cannot envision any scenario in which outgoing picks from Washington to Atlanta outweigh the incoming picks from Atlanta to Washington. Just can't. If that were to happen, that would shock the living daylights out of me. Yes, hypothetically, I suppose the Wizards could give up a second round pick. But this is me talking. From everything I've. I've seen over the last few years and what I'm gathering now, they would have to get then a better pick coming in to do, to do a deal. And I would imagine, imagine that Atlanta's response is, by the way, we're planning to send you Washington, a former four time All Star who is only 27 years old and is about to go on to an expiring contract during the 26, 27 season. And you want us to send you draft capital. I would imagine that that's how the conversation would go and that's where any negotiation would be. It's not definite that anything's going to happen.

[Dave DeFore]

And there's a fit there, though. There's a fit contract fits. I think that the Wizards Being in the position they're in where their team is so young and adding a shot creator like Trey Young, I think is going to boost those guys a lot of. Including Trey Johnson, who can play next to Trey. Maybe. Like, I mean it doesn't matter because you don't really care if you win a ton of games anyway. And hey, what if it works? Then you got a pretty good player because Trey is actually a good player. As as much as I know his market's depressed, I'd still think that this is an over correction maybe of the market on, on these offensive minded guards. I don't know. We'll see. How do you feel about, how do you feel about the move? Like, would you do you see the, the avenue here where this actually just makes them a little bit more competitive.

[Josh Robbins]

And better on offense? It would it lead to a ton of open shots for all the players you mentioned and it would be a godsend for Alex Saar in the pick and roll.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, right. Yes, it really would.

[Josh Robbins]

Having said that, it likely would make a bad defense. Not bad lately, but bad over the last three years. Even worse. Defensively it makes no sense. Offensively it makes a ton of sense. What it comes down to would be the incoming draft capital, assuming that they could get it in a negotiation and B, it would be a one year trial period right before the the 2627 trade deadline where the Wizards would have to make a decision at that time, most likely as to whether they would keep Trae Young for the long term and none of the players that they would send out fit into their long term plan. If it doesn't work out with Trae Young, you're out players who weren't in your long term plans and then you have $49 million in expiring salary which they essentially would be able to use in 2027 when ostensibly they would be more attractive to other free agents.

[Dave DeFore]

They're just flipping the CJ McCollum expiring into another expiring and if it all hits, hey, you won the lottery. I, I think it's a good move and I again, I still think Trey Young's pretty good player. Also pretty good. Josh Robbins. Not bad.

[Zena Keda]

Pretty great.

[Dave DeFore]

Appreciate you hanging out. Thank you, Josh, for hanging out, guys. Go and read him at the Athletic. He's also a really good writer. He's not just an amazing podcaster.

[Josh Robbins]

What do you think of my new puffer jacket?

[Zena Keda]

I like it.

[Dave DeFore]

I look, I live in California so I don't wear a lot of puffer vests, but I do. That is a nice puffer jacket you got there. It's got that, that heat shield lining in there that keeps retains the heat. Columbia makes some good stuff. Anyway, that's a free advertisement. Advertisement thank you to Josh Robbins. Thanks to Xena Keda. I'm Dave Deforder. This has been NBA Daily. Thanks for listening.

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