CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert offer two sides of the same coin

ATLANTA – On Tuesday, it was all about Tree Young while the Washington Wizards faced the Atlanta Hawks. It was Young returned to Atlanta for the first time since it was traded, and it was given to him standing ovation throughout the night for everything he has done for the franchise over the past eight years.

Two days later, the Wizards faced the Hawks again, but this time it was the two guys who were traded for Young: CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Both played well in the rematch and helped the Hawks to a 126-96 win.

After the game, both players talked about their time with the Wizards, and each had a different take on the experience.

Kispert was drafted by the Wizards with the 15th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He has been with the team since then before being traded to the Hawks in January.

“I’ve spent my whole career competing against these guys in practice,” Kispert told reporters after the game. “And doing it in a different uniform now was funny, especially two days ago. I felt a little more normal today. I have an amazing relationship with the guys on the other side. I felt like I was seeing old friends that I missed since the trades.”

Kispert was able to see the development and growth of the guys still on the team, and it felt like a bittersweet moment for him to play against them and play a good game.

McCollum, on the other hand, was traded to the Wizards last offseason and only played with the team for a few months. Ironically, his best game as a Wizard came against the Hawks in November, when he scored 46 points. That’s probably the only thing he remembers from that term.

“It was just another game,” McCollum said. “I was there 120 days, but it was a great time. I enjoyed it there. The organization was great for me. The staff, the front office, the players, but I’ve moved on, I think they’ve moved on, and I wish them nothing but the best. But just one more game that we should have won.”

It was the second time in McCollum’s 13-year career that he was traded. He knows the business of the game because at one point he was the president of the National Basketball Association. The trade probably seemed to him just another day at the office.

“I think this game meant more to (Corey), he’s been around for a long time,” McCollum said. “For me, I had a cup of coffee and tea there. I had to figure out directions to the facility without GPS, and then I was changed.”

As far as Kispert is concerned, this was the first trade of his career, and with it all came some emotions.

“Saying goodbye to people you’ve built relationships with for four and a half years is really hard,” Kispert said. “In the blink of an eye, I’m in a new city and playing with a new team. I felt like I was drinking from a fire hose for a long time.”

It’s safe to say Kispert is more relaxed a month after the trade, and tonight he had the best game of his career against his former team, finishing with 33 points. The funny thing is that no one knew he was close to his career during the game except Kispert himself.

“I didn’t expect anyone to know, I wanted to keep it low-key. Knock on wood,” Kispert said.

For both players, they left a situation where the organization is focused on building their young guys, and this will be a bridge year for them. Now they are with a team that is also building around its young players, but wants to compete. McCollum and Kispert offered two sides of the same coin and can be happy with where they are now.