Trae Young
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Trae Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Trae Young’s time in Atlanta has come to an end. On January 7th, the Atlanta Hawks traded Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Young spent his entire career in Atlanta and became one of the top point guards in the league. The city of Atlanta embraced Young and he meant a lot to the organization and city. Young shared a post on social media talking about his time in Atlanta.
“The city that raised me and taught me so much will always be a chapter in this story,” Young said.
Atlanta will always be home to Young, but now the four-time All-Star will be starting a new career in the nation’s capital.
Trae Young’s Love for Atlanta
Looking at Young’s career, you can see that he accomplished a lot during his time with the Hawks. He immediately made an impact his rookie year starting in 81 games, averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists. Young was named to the All-Rookie First Team.
The next season he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. He was the face of the franchise and he brought that winning tradition to the team. In his first appearance in the postseason during the 2020-21 season, he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 28.8 points and 9.5 assists during that postseason.
His ultimate goal was to bring a title to Atlanta. “Bringing a championship to Atlanta was always my goal,” he wrote in his message on social media. “However, between the injuries, the setbacks, and situations that didn’t make sense, we never truly got to see our full potential.”
Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game and Young has dealt with multiple injuries throughout the course of his career. During his time in Atlanta, he averaged 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He is the franchise leader in assists, three-point field goals, and three-point field goal attempts. It won’t be a surprise when the Hawks decide to retire Young’s jersey.
Trae Young is Ready for a New Start
Young is now a Wizard and though it’s uncertain if he will play again this season, he’s still excited for this new journey and is embracing the change. “However, the pain of staying the same eventually outweighed the uncertainty of change,” he said. “Change is often met with fear, but I see it as another opportunity.”
Young is the type of player that can make an immediate impact for the Wizards. Washington has struggled the past few years and has not made the postseason since 2021. Now with the addition of Young, that could change.
Young is ready to start this new journey with the Wizards and it will be interesting to see how the team plays when he’s inserted into the lineup.
“I’m walking into this next chapter ecstatic, with my head held high and my eyes forward,” Young said. “It’s time to see what’s possible when the support is real and the vision is clear. We move.”