NEW YORK (AFP) — Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is being traded to the Washington Wizards in a deal that sends CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in the other direction, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Young, 27, a four-time All-Star, joins Washington near the mid-point of his eighth season with Atlanta.

ESPN said Young had been keen to join the Wizards, where he will be reunited with Washington executive Travis Schlenk, who drafted him in 2018.

Washington, which is one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 10-26 record, views Young as the centerpiece of its rebuilding project.

Young, who has averaged just over 25 points a game through his career, has struggled for form and fitness this season, playing in just 10 games for Atlanta after suffering knee and thigh injuries.

He has not played since suffering a right quadriceps contusion on 27 December.