Washington Wizards guard Trae Young reflected on his Atlanta Hawks days, talking about president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh and how leaving on good terms mattered to Trae. After watching what happened with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Young hoped to maintain a relationship similar to Westbrook's, who's revered by Thunder fans in OKC.

After the Hawks traded Young to the Wizards in a blockbuster move last season, he believes it was the right thing for both sides. Plus, Young isn't ruling out a potential reunion with the Hawks at some point in the future, he said, per the Curious Mike podcast.

“I knew it was time, and for me, I wanted to leave the right way. I never wanted it to be a big deal. I grew up in OKC, where I saw KD get killed for leaving a certain way; I didn't want that type of feeling. I also saw how they treated Russ when he ended up leaving OKC. So I wanted to figure out how I wanted to leave, and you never know how the NBA works. So, you never know if a rekindle is in the future.”

Trae Young received a heartfelt Hawks video tribute in his first game as a Wizard in Atlanta. When All-Star Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors after he and the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, fans vilified him, whereas Russell Westbrook stuck around.

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Young also addressed the Hawks front office, including the president of basketball operations, Onsi Saleh.

“I loved the owners, Tony, and all the ownership they got down there. So, I have much love for the people down in Atlanta,” Young said. “So, I never wanted to leave in a bad way. Once you got to that in that third GM, and we brought on Onsi, you don't necessarily feel as comfortable as you did when you first got there. It wasn't no big deal to me, neither, and there's so many things I won't say until later on. But sometimes it's better to just let things go.”

Young signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension with the Wizards over the summer.