By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After eight years with the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young is heading to the Washington Wizards via trade, midway through the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season.
With involved teams expected to confirm the deal regarding the 27-year-old point guard later Friday, he shared an emotional message on social media to address his departure from Atlanta and welcome change.
“Never thought I’d be typing this…
The last few years weren’t how I wanted them to be. 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.
The city that raised me and taught me so much will always be a chapter in this story…
However, 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.
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 the vision is clear.
We move,”
…Another Opportunity🙏🏽💯❄ pic.twitter.com/jDk09ZI8BZ
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 9, 2026
With Young moving to the Wizards, the Hawks are compensated with CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Coming out of Oklahoma, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the fifth overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft and subsequently traded to the Hawks in a deal sending Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic to the Mavs. Over the next eight years, he led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. He also earned an All-Star Game nod in 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025.