01/09/26 09:17:00
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01/09 21:15 CST Trae Young has a fresh start in Washington. His first order of
business is getting healthy
Trae Young has a fresh start in Washington. His first order of business is
getting healthy
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) --- Trae Young's tan outfit nearly matched the color of
Washington's uniforms. And although he couldn't take the court and help his new
team, Wizards fans showed their appreciation.
Young was introduced to the home crowd with a video during the first quarter of
Friday night's 128-107 loss to New Orleans. Earlier in the day, the trade that
sent the high-scoring guard from Atlanta to Washington became official, and now
Young can look forward to a fresh start after leaving the Hawks.
"For me, DC is overlooked as far as a big market," Young said. "In the NBA, I
feel like this is a big market, and I just feel like I'm going to be able to
come into an opportunity to be myself."
The first big question is when Young will play again. He missed Friday night's
game with knee and quadriceps issues and hasn't appeared in a game since Dec.
27.
Big market or not, the Wizards lost 64 games last season and 67 in 2023-24.
They were 3-20 around mid-December but had won seven of their last 13 entering
Friday night's game. Washington has plenty of young players, and the
development of second-year big man Alex Sarr has been encouraging, but the
Wizards could use a true point guard to play alongside the likes of Bub
Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, all of whom are
between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-8 and under 23 years old.
Enter the 27-year-old Young, who for his career has averaged 25.2 points per
game and 9.8 assists. After the Wizards spent two seasons bottoming out, his
arrival gives Washington fans a star they can pin their hopes on. General
manager Will Dawkins suggested the move won't alter the patience the team has
shown with its less experienced players.
"As an organization, we have a long-term plan, and we're not going to do
anything to deviate from that," Dawkins said. "I think Trae fits into what
we're trying to do based on the development of a lot of the younger players."
Washington could lose its first-round pick this year if it falls outside the
top eight, but aside from that, there was little obvious downside to bringing
in a four-time All-Star like Young, especially since the Wizards gave up no
draft choices in the trade. Washington sent guard CJ McCollum, who
coincidentally has the same birthday as Young but is seven years older, to
Atlanta along with reserve forward Corey Kispert.
Young has a player option for about $49 million for next season.
"When you have a four-time All-Star, All-NBA player available, who wants to
come to DC and help make it what we want it to be, it was an easy partnership
and an easy decision," Dawkins said.
Although he led the Hawks to the conference finals back in 2021, Atlanta hasn't
even made the playoffs the past two seasons, and the light return for Young
indicates where his stock was when the deal was made.
"On behalf of the Hawks franchise, I'd like to thank Trae for how he embraced
the city of Atlanta and represented the Hawks during his time here, on the
court and in the community." Hawks GM Onsi Saleh said in a statement. "Over
more than seven seasons, including four All-Star appearances, he cemented
himself as a fan favorite and one of the great players in our franchise's
history. We wish Trae and his family all the best."
Now Young will try to add to Washington's recent history of dynamic point
guards. After years with John Wall leading the way, the Wizards had Russell
Westbrook for one remarkable season in which he averaged a triple-double and
led Washington to its most recent playoff berth.
But that was back in 2020-21, the same season the Hawks peaked with Young. He
was in only his third season then.
"It happened faster than I expected in my last place," Young said, suggesting
the Wizards could be capable of a similar rise.
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