Trae Young did not hold back in his very honest farewell message for Atlanta Hawks fans.
Young’s trade to the Washington Wizards was made official on Friday, and the star guard shared a farewell message for Hawks fans on social media. He wrote that the last few years “weren’t how I wanted them to be,” and that “the injuries, the setbacks, and situations that didn’t make sense” prevented the organization from reaching its full potential during his time there.
Perhaps most notably, Young essentially admitted that he had grown stagnant with the Hawks, and that he was eager to leave.
“The pain of staying the same eventually outweighed the uncertainty of change,” Young wrote.
…Another Opportunity🙏🏽💯❄️ pic.twitter.com/jDk09ZI8BZ
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 9, 2026
It may be that Young is trying to make it seem like he had a bigger say in the trade process than he actually did. After all, a few days ago, he was presenting himself as “open-minded” about a potential trade, and was gone from Atlanta within 72 hours of that.
Whatever the case, Young’s time in Atlanta feels like a lot of unmet potential. He averaged 25.2 points per game there over his career, but only made one lengthy playoff run and spent more time missing the postseason than playing in it. He appears content that his tenure with the team is coming to an end, even though his future may not be much clearer with the Wizards.
