Trae Young gets emotional after Atlanta video
Before the trade deadline, The Atlanta Hawks decided to commit to a path forwardreplacing the former face of the franchise Trae Young Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Young has been injured a lot this season and hasn’t been very productive when healthy, but the Hawks decided they’d rather get something for him than have to pay him a big contract going forward.
This also allows the Hawks to transition to a more defensive identity, with the team handing the keys to the franchise to emerging star Jaylen Johnson. But Yang’s departure was so sudden that everyone barely had a chance to say goodbye.
On Tuesday night, with the Wizards visiting the Hawks, Young finally got it his well-deserved public send-off. The Hawks presented Young with a video, prompting an emotional reaction from the multiple All-Star.
Via ClutchPoints beat reporter Malik Brown and Hawks.com reporter Kevin Chouinard:
Tree Young tribute video + Trae’s reaction pic.twitter.com/ZHKSl8v715a
— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) February 25, 2026
Trae Young reacts to his gift video pic.twitter.com/mJ2kF5H6eT
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) February 25, 2026
Young played some of his best basketball with the Hawks, and the city of Atlanta embraced him as one of their own. It may not have worked out for Young in the end in Atlanta, but that doesn’t take anything away from what he did for the team in his seven and a half seasons with the team.
Trae Young, Hawks start over
The Hawks did get a fresh start, but so did Young. Young has been scapegoated for so long for his defensive shortcomings, but in the nation’s capital, he’ll have more help on that end of the floor than ever, especially when Anthony Davis gets healthy.
Losing Young wasn’t an easy decision for the Hawks, but Johnson’s emergence as a point forward and the team’s improved depth could bode well for their future — especially with a likely top-five pick in this year’s draft.
2026-02-25 04:02:00
