Trae Young’s time with the Atlanta Hawks is officially over. The four-time All-Star was traded to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, with Atlanta getting CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in the deal.
The 27-year-old guard, who averaged 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.0 steals in his eight years with the Hawks, was traded during the middle of Atlanta’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Young was seen leaving Atlanta’s bench following the trade.
While the return for Young shocked many, it didn’t really come as a surprise that he was sent to the Wizards. Shams Charania of ESPN reported earlier in the day that Washington was his “preferred destination.”
© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Furthermore, hours before his trade to the Wizards was reported, Young shared a post on his Instagram Stories. The post was a farewell video from a young fan, who wrote in the caption, “I’ll miss you bro, you will always be my best friend.”
Young responded to the fan, saying, “Friend for life! We locked in forever bro.”
In hindsight, the post was a clear sign that Young was determined to move on from the Hawks, as he didn’t deny the goodbye message and simply embraced it.
Trae Young recently on Instagram reposted a “goodbye” video to a kid who was a huge Atlanta / Trae Young fan.
The caption of the post from the kid said “I’ll miss you bro 💔💔🖤🖤 you will always be my best friend”
Trae Young responds with “Friend for life! We locked in forever… pic.twitter.com/beqbJaUGU2— NSC Hawks (@NSCHawks) January 7, 2026
It remains to be seen when Young will suit up for the Wizards. It’s worth noting that, including the Hawks’ Wednesday game against the Pelicans, he has missed six straight games due to a right quad contusion.
Washington will play the Pelicans on Saturday, so it could be an opportunity for Young to play if he is healthy. As for his first official game against his former team, the Wizards play the Hawks in back-to-back games in February.
Related: Trae Young Issues Apology After NBA All-Star Game Exclusion