​That contract drew a lot of scrutiny across the league. Trae Young earned $46.4 million last season, and there was virtually no trade market for him at the deadline — Atlanta effectively shipped him to Washington to shed salary. The prevailing expectation throughout basketball circles was that Young would agree to an extension, but at a noticeably lower annual value. In the end, his value wasn’t perceived as high enough to command a bigger deal. Yet the Wizards offered him a raise anyway. Young listened to the chatter and brushed it off. “That ain’t nothing new. I mean, it isn’t the first time all this has gone on,” he said. “I don’t really care about what other people think. You know what I’m saying? I only care about what the people in this organization think, my teammates think, and how we’re going to get better and how we’re going to find ways to win the game. So whatever everyone else has to say, I mean, it’s all irrelevant to me.”