Inside Hawks’ locker room after Trae Young trade: Saying goodbye to a franchise icon

ATLANTA, GA – With about 35 seconds left in the game, Trae Young walked from the end of the bench toward the tunnel, and gave a few handshakes to the fans on his way out. The camera followed him as he made his way to the back, and that was the picture of the final moments of Young’s tenure with the Atlanta Hawks for eight seasons, as it was announced during the game that he was being traded to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

It was a trade that seemed inevitable, especially after the past few days with trade rumors heating up. Despite the rumors, Young came out and put some shots up during pregame (ruled out with a right quad injury), and sat with the team during the game.

When a three-pointer went up, he cheered. When Mouhamed Gueye and Nickel Alexander-Walker had back-to-back blocks at the end of the second half, he got out of his seat. He was still a Hawk by law at that time, but the feeling was that he had one foot in, and one foot out.

He shared laughs with the assistant coaches and embraced his teammates during timeouts. After the trade was announced, he went over to comedian DC Young Fly and showed him some love. That’s when it all started to settle in.

After the win against the New Orleans Pelicans, Young reportedly spoke with the team in the locker room.

“It was deep,” Zaccharie Risacher said. “It was a lot of emotions… He let us know he was always going to be there for us no matter what and he was going to be happy to see us succeed, and that’s how we feel about him too.

“I just got here last season but I feel like it’s a legacy and I’ve been lucky to be a part of it.”

Jalen Johnson, who now is the next franchise star for the Hawks, had nothing but good things to say about Young and what he’s meant to him over the years.

“Trae was great. Just from Day 1, he always showed me love,” Johnson said. “Very appreciative of the time we spent together and everything he’s done for this organization and what he’s done for me. I’m excited for him and his next step in Washington.”

Young has been a building block for the Hawks since he got to the team, and has been one of the better point guards in the league during that time. A four-time All-Star and the league’s assist leader from last season, Young has elevated every player he’s played with, while in the same breath, developing his own game.

Last season, it was Young’s duty to help lead the young core that the Hawks were building, and two of those players were Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye.

“He’s my guy, that’s my brother,” Risacher said. “That was one of the first people I met in this organization, and from Day 1, he always had my back. I want what’s best for him. If he’s happy, I’m always happy for him.”

“He’s the first guy who welcomed me to the city,” Gueye said. “I love him as a guy. I love him as a teammate.”

Even with the team they built around him this season, players such as Kristaps Porzingis seemed to be excited to play alongside him. Unfortunately, they barely saw any time together on the court because of injuries.

“He’s one of the best passers I’ve played with, and I think everybody was benefitting from playing him,” Porzingis said. “Offensively, he’s really a wizard. He’s an amazing player, and I’m sad I didn’t get more time with him.”

Now, each side will go their separate ways in hopes of finding success on their respective paths. Young now finds himself on another team with young, budding talent, while the Hawks continue to build with the core they have with the chance of adding more pieces.

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