Why Hawks traded Trae Young to Wizards

Billy Heyen

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Why Hawks traded Trae Young to Wizards image

Trae Young is really gone.

The rumors sprung up relatively quickly, and on Wednesday night, the deal was completed.

The Atlanta Hawks traded Young to the Washington Wizards.

The deal was reported by ESPN's Shams Charania with these trade terms:

  • Wizards get:  Trae Young
  • Hawks get:  C.J. McCollum, Corey Kispert

Even with a deal becoming expected in recent days, it was still a bit shocking to see it all come to fruition.

Young's entire NBA career had been spent with the Hawks. And now, he's gone.

MORE: Why Wizards trading for Trae Young would be a massive mistake

Why did the Hawks trade Trae Young to the Wizards?

First and foremost, it's a chance for Atlanta to build a new identity with Jalen Johnson as the centerpiece.

"The Hawks are poised to turn the page on a new era with the emergence of Jalen Johnson and others, bringing a much more fluid style of play around their wings and depth," Charania wrote on X. "McCollum serves as a valuable plug-and-play veteran while holding a $30.6 million expiring deal."

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It could also set up a trade for another star if the Hawks want to pursue one.

"Moving Young also provides Atlanta with added financial flexibility to pursue a large salary over the next several months – with Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis as a prime in-season trade target," Charania wrote.

The Hawks discovered when Young was out with injury early this season that they were just fine without him, and they actually fell into a rut once he returned.

Now, they have decided to fully move on without Young, and he'll have to figure out how to impact games for the Wizards instead.

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Editorial Team