Management changes in Atlanta caused Trae Young to want to move on after spending more than seven years with the organization, relays Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Appearing this week on Michael Porter Jr.’s podcast (YouTube link), Young said he didn’t feel the same type of support from the front office after Onsi Saleh took over as the Hawks’ president of basketball operations.
*“I love the owner, Tony (Ressler), and all the ownership group and everybody down there,”* Young said. “So I have much love to a lot of people down there in Atlanta, so I never wanted to leave (in) a bad way. But once we got on that third GM, and we brought in Onsi, it’s like you don’t necessarily feel as comfortable as you did (when) you got there. … There are so many things I won’t say until later on, but sometimes it’s just better just to let things go.”
Former Hawks executive Travis Schlenk, who left the team early in the 2022/23 season, is now the Wizards’ senior vice president of player personnel, so Washington was a logical destination for Young. He only appeared in five games after being traded there in January, but the team offered a strong show of support this summer with a new four-year, $212MM contract.
Young believed that changes were coming in Atlanta if the team didn’t win right away, and he wanted to get ahead of them.
“We all knew around me that it’s either we’re going to be around here for the long haul and we win or it may be time for everybody to just part their ways,” he said. “We had these conversations with my agent and stuff, but I knew it was time, and, for me, I wanted to leave the right way. I never wanted to make it like a big deal. I grew up in (Oklahoma City), where I’d seen (Kevin Durant) get killed for leaving and going a certain way, and I didn’t want that type of feeling.”
There’s more on the Wizards:
In an interview with Mark Medina of RG, Young’s trainer fights back against criticism of his client. Travelle Gaines claims that Young never complained throughout a season that changed the trajectory of his career with the trade and injuries that limited him to 15 games. “He was always just saying, ‘I’ll be ready to get back on the court,'” Gaines said. “… He wants to put in the work. He’s the ultimate professional. He understands that hard work will get him to where he wants to go. From my aspect, it’s about how can Trae be in the best shape possible to play 82 games and help his team win?”
General manager Will Dawkins will have a chance to define expectations for the upcoming season when he holds his annual preseason press conference Thursday morning, per Ahmed Ghafir of Yahoo Sports. Ghafir cites a few topics for Dawkins to address, including the status of Anthony Davis’ contract amid a report that the two sides have tabled extension talks, the likely fifth starter and how the coaching staff plans to allocate minutes on an improved roster.
Teaming up veterans Young, Davis, Khris Middleton and Deandre Ayton with a collection of prospects makes the Wizards the NBA’s “weirdest group project,” according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports. He examines whether Young can learn to be effective while playing off the ball and whether the veterans can help without inhibiting the growth of the young talent.