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Social Media Reacts to Trae Young Being Traded To The Washington Wizards

Trae Young is now a member of the Wizards after nearly a decade as the face of the franchise in Atlanta
Jackson Caudell|
Jan 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shown on the court before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shown on the court before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Hawks

The Trae Young era is officially over in Atlanta.

The talks of Young being dealt heated up this week and now it has happened. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Young is being traded to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

This is the first (maybe only?) blockbuster trade ahead of the deadline and as expected, social media had plenty of reactions to this major deal. Here are some of the most notable:

One of the greats

Trae Young Atlanta Hawk
Jan 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shown on the court before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Now, Young is on the Washington Wizards, and one of the greatest players to ever wear a Hawks uniform is no longer on the team.

Young is a four-time All-Star, one time All-NBA player, led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were two wins away from making the NBA Finals (had an official not stepped on his ankle, perhaps they would have), and is the Hawks' all-time assist leader. Young led the Hawks to the playoffs three times, but the franchise had not made it since the 2022-2023 season.

It became increasingly clear after the Young did not sign any sort of extension with the Hawks that his time in Atlanta might be nearing its end. Still, the team had seemingly constructed the right team around him, with Dyson Daniels coming off an elite campaign, Zaccharie Risacher nearly winning rookie of the year, Jalen Johnson emerging as a star player, signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the summer trade for Kristaps Porzingis. It looked like the Hawks might have finally figured out how to surround Young with the right pieces.

The sad part is, we will never really know. When Young got injured in the fourth game of the season, he was out for an extended period of time. Porzingis has also missed quite a few games this season and the Hawks have rarely been healthy this season. Yes, the team won more without Young, but we still never got to see the team on the floor all at once for hardly any time.

Young is now off to Washington and the Hawks have to figure out what comes next.

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

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