Wizards newcomer Trae Young: ‘Walking into this next chapter ecstatic’

Trae Young addressed his departure from Atlanta on Thursday, offering a candid farewell after being traded from the Hawks to the Wizards.

“Never thought I’d be typing this,” Young wrote in a statement posted to X. “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.”

Young was sent by the Hawks to the Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Atlanta had explored Young’s market dating back to the offseason, and extension talks between the two sides never gained traction.

A four-time All-Star, Trae Young averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 assists in 10 games this season, as injuries limited his availability. He is earning $45.9 million this year and holds a $48.9 million player option for 2026–27, which he could decline to enter free agency.

Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, but Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff series since. Now, he heads to Washington, where the Wizards hope his arrival can accelerate a rebuild and inject star power into a franchise that has missed the postseason since that same year.