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Trae Young Explains Why He Targeted Wizards, Washington, D.C. As Trade Destination

Young desired a trade to the Wizards, who have missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons.

Tim Capurso

Young on Wednesday was dealt from the Hawks to the Wizards.
Young on Wednesday was dealt from the Hawks to the Wizards. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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Shortly after news emerged that star guard Trae Young's representatives were working alongside the Hawks to find a trade partner for the four-time All-Star, multiple reports indicated that Young's desired destination was the Washington Wizards. Young got his wish on Wednesday, as the Hawks dealt him to Washington in exchange for guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert.

Young's desire to go to the Wizards, who have missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons and are coming off of an 18-win season, puzzled some, which is why the talented point guard was almost immediately asked about what led to him wanting to land in Washington, D.C.

“I think there's a lot of factors,” Young said. “I think for me, there's a lot of different directions I could have went as far as what my goals and what I want my legacy to be at the end of the day. For me, to just be able to have an impact on my teammates and people around me—I feel like I did a good job of that as a young player in Atlanta.

“So being able to be a vet and doing it with these young guys here—I feel like I have more experience and more things that I can give these young guys. I'm just super excited. For me, D.C. is overlooked as far as a big market. In the NBA, I feel like this is a big market...”

Young, at 27, is the third-oldest player on the Wizards' roster, one of the youngest in the NBA headlined by 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr, fellow 2024 first rounder Kyshawn George, 2025 No. 6 pick Tre Johnson and 2023 No. 7 pick Bilal Coulibaly.

Young, who has dished out 9.8 assists per game in his career, is already envisioning how he'll mesh alongside Washington's youth.

“I know as soon as I run a pick-and-roll with Alex [Sarr], I give him a little drop-off to a dunk or a lob,” Young said. “Or when I see Bilal cutting and he gets the ball—it's not just cutting just to cut. That builds chemistry. And they gotta know I give effort on the other end too. And they're gonna see that. And that's how you build trust with your teammates.”

And while Young spent much of his time looking forward, he also looked to the past and spoke of his “love” for the Hawks organization.

Young appreciative of time with Hawks after trade to Wizards

“I loved it,” Young said. “I enjoyed it. Going there as a 19, 20-year-old, it was a dream come true being able to be drafted there,” Young said. “I have nothing but love and respect to the Ressler family... I think everything I learned there is gonna make me the better player and person I need to be for this organization. I'm just so thankful for my time there.”

Young has been limited to just 10 games this season due to a sprained MCL. Young said he will return “hopefully soon,” but added that he will leave any timetable up to the Wizards.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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