The Atlanta Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in the middle of their game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Young was on the bench when the breaking news dropped, with a fan catching his reaction on camera, which got uploaded on social media.
In a post by Overtime on X, formerly known as Twitter, Young can be seen on the bench as the news of his trade was announced by ESPN’s Shams Charania. He calmly stood up and walked back to the locker without acknowledging the State Farm Arena crowd.
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Young also didn’t approach any of his teammates before leaving. Some team staff members were returning to the bench, but the former franchise player ignored them and left, possibly to get his things from his locker room.
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Here’s the video of Young’s reaction to the trade news.
It’s possibly an awful feeling to get traded in the middle of the game. At least, for Trae Young, he was out and sitting on the bench when it happened. Harrison Barnes was in the game and playing for the Dallas Mavericks when he was traded to the Sacramento Kings in February 2019.
Update: Young returned to the bench and said his goodbyes to his teammates, staff and the fans. He was smiling as the Hawks defeated the Pelicans 117-100.
Trae Young trade details
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Charania reported earlier today that Young’s most preferred destination was the Wizards.
NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line added that the Hawks were interested in Kispert, so it wasn’t surprising that the sharpshooting forward was included in the deal. McCollum was a given since he has a huge salary and an expiring contract.
However, it was shocking that the Hawks didn’t receive a single draft pick from the Wizards. Granted that Young could opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, Kyrie Irving was also in the same position in 2023.
The Dallas Mavericks gave up a first-round pick and a couple of second-round picks to acquire Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.
What’s next for the Atlanta Hawks?
Shams Charania opined that the Atlanta Hawks might not be done making trades ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. The Hawks have been linked to Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Trae Young trade gave Atlanta some much-needed cap flexibility that could nab them a player of Davis’ caliber. They also own a potential high draft pick in this year’s loaded draft, so they are well-equipped to continue making noise at the deadline.
Edited by Juan Paolo David