Hawks NBA Cup Schedule Puts Trae Young's Return to Atlanta in the Spotlight

The Hawks are going to open up the NBA Cup Schedule against Trae Young and the Washington Wizards on November 6th

Nov 25, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the full NBA schedule for the Atlanta Hawks is not going to be revealed until tomorrow afternoon, the NBA Cup schedule has just been revealed for the team, and the opening game for Atlanta is very interesting.

Atlanta is in East Group C with the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and Boston Celtics, and the Hawks will open NBA Cup Play against Washington on November 6th, with the game being in Atlanta.

Unless the Wizards come to Atlanta before November 6th (we will know tomorrow), this would be the first game that Trae Young will suit up and play in Atlanta since being traded to the Wizards last January.

Full NBA Cup schedule for Atlanta:

Nov. 6th vs Washington- 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 13th at Chicago- 8:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 20th vs Charlotte- 7:00 p.m. ET
Nov. 27th at Boston- 8:00 p.m. ET

Young's potential return

Mar 16, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) on the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Again, there is a chance that the Wizards could face the Hawks in Atlanta before Nov. 6th, but this will be a huge moment if that is the first time that Young will play against his former team.

Young has returned to Atlanta since being traded, but has not played against his former team. Young spoke with the media in Atlanta during a road game for the Wizards and had nothing but love for the team he formerly played for and began his career with:

"Like, for me, that's a big reason I'm, like, even instead of doing this, like, for me, I just wanted the Hawks fans to know, like, how much I, I mean, love and appreciate them, like, since day one, like, getting drafted, I mean, obviously with the trade and things like that, like, but for me to come in and I still found a way to make a name for myself, make a name for my team, and try and try to put this city on the map where people were talking about us. And I just, you can't do that without the fans. The fans showed us so much love throughout the years I was here. Even the years it was down, I felt like there was still a lot of love. So I mean, I got so much love for this city and the fans."

Young will likely get a huge ovation from Hawks fans whenever he suits up in State Farm Arena for the first time.

When looking at the NBA Cup Group for the Hawks, there is a chance for the Hawks to emerge as the winners of the group.

The Wizards are going to be an intriguing team with Young, Anthony Davis, and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, but Atlanta is projected to finish ahead of them in the standings. The Bulls are expected to be among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and Charlotte is going to likely take a step back after trading away LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.

It could come down to the Hawks and Celtics for Group C. Boston will still be an excellent team despite trading Jaylen Brown and I think that game on Black Friday could hold a lot of weight.

Atlanta's full schedule will be released tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. ET.