Trae Young was traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, January 7. Washington traded Corey Kispert and NBA veteran CJ McCollum to Atlanta. Amid his move to Wizards, the former franchise star reacted to the news and shared a message to the fans on Friday. In his statement, however, it seemed that Young took a dig at the Hawks franchise.
Trae Young takes a dig at the Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks and Young ended their eight-year partnership. Although the two had some success, they couldn't recreate it. They missed the postseason in the last two years, which sparked the urge to move on.
In Young's message posted on X, he thanked the fans, organization, his former Hawks teammates and the city. The four-time All-Star also discussed his difficult circumstances in Atlanta.
"Bringing a championship to Atlanta was always my goal. However, between the injuries, the setbacks, and situations that didn't make sense, we never truly got to see our full potential," Young wrote.
However, the star guard expressed his gratitude to the city for trusting him in 2018.
"However, the pain of staying the same eventually outweighed the uncertainty of change. Change is often met with fear, but I see it as another opportunity. I'm walking into this next chapter ecstatic, with my head high and my eyes forward. It's time to see what's possible when the support is real and the vision is clear. We move."
Hawks' struggle with Trae Young
Over the last two seasons, the Hawks have struggled to create a strong roster around Young. The team had a promising group in the 2020-21 season, when they reached the Eastern Conference finals.
However, Atlanta struggled to bank on that, and they faced elimination in the first round in two consecutive postseason runs. That was the last time the Hawks and Trae Young's partnership reached a decent level of success.
Trae Young makes it official with a change in jersey number
Trae Young made it official on X (FKA Twitter) by flexing his new Wizards jersey. On X, the star guard shared a picture of Washington's City Edition jersey. With the new move comes a new number for Young.
The one-time All-NBA guard is moving on from the No.11 jersey and has chosen to wear No.3 with the Wizards.
It’s official #TRA3 @WashWizards" Young posted.
In an Instagram post from the Wizards, Young justified why he changed his jersey number. As per him, it is the only number he has used other than No.11. The four-time All-Star said that he wore No.3 during his freshman year in high school.
When Trae Young was traded, he was facing a right MCL sprain, He remained out for the Wizards, and coach Brian Keefe said that the team is focusing on getting him fit first. A come back date is yet to be announced by Washington.