Zacharie Risacher goes behind the scenes of Tree Young’s departure
The rumors were growing and, this time, the soap opera did not drag on. At night, departure from Trae Young to Washington, in exchange for CJ McCollum etc Corey Kispertit was made official… to the extent that it surprised the leader before end of the Hawks victory against Pelican.
A few minutes later, Trae Young left the Atlanta bench and joined the locker room of the departing team. After more than seven years at the helm of the project, a page was turned in Georgia.
“He is my brother”
Author of his best game of the season (25 points) and career record from behind the 3-point line (7/9), Zachary Risacher was, for his part, invited to talk about the relationship that arose with the man who, since his arrival in the NBA a year and a half ago, has been his mentor and first support.
“He’s my guy, he’s my brother, one of the first people I met in the franchise. And from day one, he’s always supported me.”, he stated. “I’m grateful to be able to say that our paths crossed. I wish him the best. If he’s happy, I’ll be happy for him. He means a lot to me. Every day our friendship grew stronger. It’s special, but I’m proud to call him my friend.”
The Frenchman also returned to Tree Young’s farewell speech in the locker room, immediately after the match.
“It was intense. There were a lot of emotions, on both sides. He told us, the players, that he would always be with us, no matter what, that he would be happy to see us play and succeed.” he confided. “We feel the same way about him. I’ve only been here since last season, but I feel he’s leaving a legacy. I was lucky to be a part of it, to be able to share the field with him. It was huge for me and I’m really grateful. His speech was very moving and everyone wishes him the best.”
Already focused on what comes next
Atlanta’s choice remains strong – and the acceptance of failure around the 27-year-old leader as the face of the project – but the separation happened in a calm climate. The Hawks could have waited and tried to up the ante. They finally responded quickly to the wishes of their former “franchise player”.
Even as expected, the trade inevitably shook up Quin Snyder’s locker room. On the floor, the team responded best by dominating New Orleans, days after two straight losses in Toronto. And Zachary Rizacher was a symbol of this, finishing as the Hawks’ top scorer in the match for the first time this season.
“It’s tough, because it’s the middle of the season, and you still want to play well on the court. Sometimes you have to know how to switch off for a moment just to focus on your job, which is to win basketball games, and try to be the best version of ourselves. That’s what I tried to do for this match. It’s over now, or we’ll almost do it, and we’ll see.
Atlanta now begins a four-game road trip, with the first stop in Denver this Friday. New recruits are expected to join the group along the way. So goes the NBA and its hellish pace.
2026-01-08 08:42:00
