The Washington Wizards have the NBA's second-worst record at 16-53 entering Saturday's home date with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they're on pace to clinch a top-six pick in this summer's draft. They have no incentive to rush players back from injury before their last game on April 12, especially four-time All-Star guard Trae Young.
The Wizards announced an injury update about the 27-year-old, who left Monday's 125-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors with a quad contusion, on Saturday.
“Young reinjured his right quadriceps, sustaining a contusion during the third quarter of the game against Golden State on March 16. Related imaging, due to ongoing back pain, confirmed lower back irritation,” the organization said. “Both injuries are being treated conservatively and will not require surgery at this time. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.”
Washington officially acquired Young from the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9, but he didn't play until the team's 122-112 home loss to the Utah Jazz on March 5 due to quad and knee injuries. The former All-NBA honoree has only played five games since the trade and 15 overall this season after leading the league with 11.6 assists per game across 76 contests last year.
The Wizards put Young on a minutes restriction when he did play, as he averaged just 20.8 minutes across those five games. The 6-foot-2, 164-pounder averages 34.1 minutes for his career.
However, Young still put on a show, producing highlights like fake behind-the-back passes, deep threes, and his patented “Ice Trae” celebration.
Trae Young (19 PTS) was a handful for the defense in the 1st half 🥶 pic.twitter.com/bWmMJsXiYV
— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) March 17, 2026
The Oklahoma native averaged 15.2 points on 59.5% shooting (42.9% 3-point) with 6.3 assists, three rebounds, and 2.6 turnovers over those 20.8 minutes. He scored 21 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3-point) in 21 minutes against the Warriors on Monday, along with five assists, two rebounds, one block, and one steal.
Young has a $49 million player option this summer. Assuming the former Oklahoma Sooner opts in and/or signs an extension with Washington, he'll be its point guard next season possibly alongside star big man Anthony Davis (hand), big man Alex Sarr, sharpshooting guard Tre Johnson, wing Kyshawn George (elbow), wing Will Riley, guard Bilal Coulibaly, and guard Bub Carrington. Additionally, the team will have whoever it drafts this summer, which could be a superstar prospect like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, or Duke's Cameron Boozer depending on what pick it gets in May's NBA Draft Lottery.
Trae Young showed how he can transform Wizards
If Young doesn't return this season, the silver lining is that he showed why Washington got him. The 2018 NCAA scoring champion and assist leader's gravity on offense generated more open looks for its young core, making it easier for players like Johnson, Riley, and Coulibaly to score. For example, Coulibaly averaged 16.8 points on 45% shooting (41% 3-point) in five games with Young, and he's averaging 11 points on 41.5% shooting (31% 3-point) over 47 games this season.
The Wizards' acquisitions of Young and Davis this season have allowed the star duo to acclimate to the squad before next year, when the team plans to enter the Eastern Conference playoff picture for the first time since general manager Will Dawkins and president Michael Winger took over in 2023. Young and Davis are the organization's first two stars since Russell Westbrook's stint in 2020-21 and the John Wall/Bradley Beal era before that. Dawkins and company traded Beal to the Phoenix Suns in 2023, but he played just 90 games over his final two seasons in Washington. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2021.
The Wizards will face the Thunder at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. After that, they will hit the road to face the New York Knicks on Sunday and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Their last game is a road matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 12.
