The Washington Wizards have a new star in DC.
Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks tenure has finally concluded, and it ends with a not-so-shocking trade.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Hawks and the Wizards are doing a two-for-one swap. Young will land with the Wizards, while the Hawks pick up the veteran guard CJ McCollum and the sharpshooter Corey Kispert.
The trade went down amid the Wednesday night slate of games, which included the Wizards and the Hawks.
NBA Fans React to the Deal
@umichwolverine1: Wow the hawks got fleeced
@oldnbatweetz: From t5 offensive player to getting traded for free
@JTFOz: The Wizards are back!
@MJRodnick: Gonna be weird not seeing Young in a Hawks jersey.
@erichterrr: So Trae young was free basically
Over the past week, it was growing increasingly clear that Young’s tenure in Atlanta was coming to a close.
Not only did Young and the Hawks fail to get an extension done during the offseason, but an early-season injury gave the Hawks a sneak peek of life without Young on the court. They were thriving. When Young came back, they began to struggle, with his defensive shortcomings at the forefront of their issues.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Young had his eyes on several organizations, but there was a lot of mutual interest between Young and the Wizards.
@0xCapital: Holy fleece
@KevinOConnor: Hawks should’ve traded Trae 2-3 years ago instead of waiting for this poor return. A solid buy low for the Wizards.
@EmpireJeffTV: Imagine Washington being your desired destination
@TopShelfAction: The Wizards are so back
@AeroGant: Any time a franchise star ends up there, it’s a loud signal the leverage was gone. This doesn’t look like a bold new chapter for Trae Young so much as the best deal available once the list of real options got real short.
Young wraps up his Hawks stint with eight years played. He was just seven games shy of 500 during the regular season. He started every game, averaging 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
The Wizards picked up Young amid a down year. The star guard has averaged 19.3 points (41 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from three), 8.9 assists, and 1.5 rebounds.
The Hawks acquired the 34-year-old McCollum, who has posted averages of 18.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. They also added the five-year veteran Corey Kispert, who has 311 games under his belt. He’s a 38 percent three-point shooter.