Trae Young eyes ‘opportunity’ with Wizards, bids farewell to Hawks
Four-time All-Star guard Trae Young took to social media Friday morning to address "another opportunity" with the Washington Wizards as well as his time spent with the Atlanta Hawks.
About two hours after Young's post on X, the trade became official as he was dealt to the Wizards in exchange for veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert.
"The last few years weren't how I wanted them to be," Young wrote. "Expectations that we created for ourselves, reaching heights that Atlanta has never reached before.
"Bringing a championship to Atlanta was always my goal. However, between the injuries, the setbacks, and situations that didn't make sense, we never truly got to see our full potential."
Young, 27, admitted that he was willing to take a chance to move away from the Hawks, who acquired him in a draft-and-trade deal with Dallas in the 2018 NBA Draft as the fifth overall pick. He's the franchise's all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers made (1,295).
His career average of 9.8 assists per game is the third highest in NBA history behind only Hall of Famers Earvin "Magic" Johnson and John Stockton.
"The pain of staying the same eventually outweighed the uncertainty of change. Change is often met with fear, but I see it as another opportunity," Young wrote.
"I'm walking into this next chapter ecstatic, with my head high and my eyes forward. It's time to see what's possible when the support is real and vision is clear. We move."
Young, a third-team All-NBA player for the 2021-22 season, led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals in the 2020-21 campaign. Atlanta failed to make it out of the first round the next two seasons and also couldn't escape the play-in tournament the last two campaigns.
"On behalf of the Hawks franchise, I'd like to thank Trae for how he embraced the city of Atlanta and represented the Hawks during his time here, on the court and in the community," Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said. "Over more than seven seasons, including four All-Star appearances, he cemented himself as a fan favorite and one of the great players in our franchise's history. We wish Trae and his family all the best."
Young has missed 29 of Atlanta's 39 games this season, and he's currently sidelined by a quad contusion. He is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game -- both the lowest since his rookie season -- in his limited action this campaign.
Over eight seasons and 493 games (all starts), Young has averaged 25.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
"We are excited to welcome Trae Young to the Washington Wizards," general manager Will Dawkins said in a news release Friday. "It is a rare opportunity to acquire a player of Trae's skill, accomplishments, and age. Trae plays an exciting brand of basketball and brings a level of confidence and competitiveness that has set him apart in this league."
McCollum, 34, was in his first season with the Wizards after spending much of his career in Portland (2013-22) and the last three-plus seasons in New Orleans (2022-25).
The 2015-16 Most Improved Player, McCollum is averaging 18.8 points (his fewest since 2014-15) and 3.6 assists over 35 games this season.
Kispert, 26, was selected 15th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by Washington. He has averaged 10.9 points and shot 38.3% from outside the arc in 311 games (105 starts) spanning five seasons with the Wizards.
He's averaging 9.2 points and shooting 39.5% from 3-point range this season.
"Adding CJ McCollum, one of the NBA's most prolific shooters and a respected veteran, along with an established young veteran in Corey Kispert, will strengthen our team on the court and in the locker room, and we retain flexibility for future opportunities to continue building our program," Saleh said.