The Trae Young saga of “will he or won’t he” stay in Atlanta has finally ended. Just as Raptors fans were on the edge of their seats watching Immanuel Quickley hit a wild three-point buzzer-beater over the Hornets, seconds later, breaking news exploded: Trae Young was headed to the Wizards in a blockbuster deal sending veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks.
While McCollum and Kispert are respectable players (I'm sure they'll be pivotal in Atlanta's hopeful playoff push), this package falls far short of what might have been expected in a Trae Young trade several seasons ago. Notably, the deal involved no draft capital — not even a second-round pick at that — and was simply a straightforward two-for-one swap. With Young's departure, it’s clear that the Jalen Johnson era in Atlanta has officially begun, and rightfully so, given his impressive breakout.
So, this is the reality Trae Young faces today: a fresh start in the nation's capital. But what if I told you — especially for us Raptors fans — that we could've been living in a completely different timeline with Trae Young in the mix? Recent comments from renowned basketball agent, Rich Paul, suggest just that.
On the January 7 edition of the Game Over Podcast with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, titled “What It Takes to Make a Trade,” the renowned agent discussed how being a top lottery pick doesn't necessarily mean you'll stay with a franchise forever — revealing that he envisioned Toronto as an alluring destination for Trae Young years ago.
If Rich Paul had his way, Trae Young could be rocking Raptors threads
"... What I foresaw back then was Toronto. And the reason why I foresaw Toronto is because I'm looking at it holistically, right? Basketball-wise, I thought about “Ice Trae.” It's f***ing ice-cold up there, the kids, the style of play. … Mighty Mouse 2.0. … But this was before the RJ [Barrett] and [Immanuel] Quickley trade, now that, that obviously — it, it changes things."Rich Paul, January 7, 2026
Based on Paul’s remarks, we can likely assume this was his vision around the 2021-22 and 2022-23 period, where Toronto still had a ton of pieces to compete, but were largely a key piece away from truly competing. So, in this alternate timeline, Toronto doesn't hit the retool button, and instead goes all-in to try to salvage their winning window.
If Toronto’s ideal core had worked out, it would likely feature the trio of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Trae Young. Scottie Barnes probably wouldn’t be part of it, as I'd reckon he'd be the main piece in such a deal. Raptors fans can be glad they still have Barnes, who never ended up getting dealt amid the wild trade rumors of years past involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Damian Lillard. Let alone a guy like Trae Young, who is probably the last guy you'd want to flip Scottie Barnes for, since that pairing is way more enticing than letting go of Barnes' services entirely.
This alternate reality would nullify the Barnes-Barrett-Quickley (BBQ) era and represent a last-ditch effort to salvage the core. And surely, no Brandon Ingram era either. Hypothetically speaking, a lineup of Trae Young-GTJ-OG-Siakam-Poeltl (maybe?) could've been interesting, but would it have been enough to come out of the East, and better yet — NBA champions?
It's definitely a bit nostalgic to think about, especially since I see the Siakam and Anunoby era of Raptors basketball as almost ages ago, considering everything that’s happened in the years since. What a strange world it could’ve been if Rich Paul's vision had gone according to plan.