Trae Young Reacts to Hawks Tribute Video, Atlanta Return After Trade to Wizards at NBA Deadline

Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young had an emotional reaction to the tribute video he received from the Atlanta Hawks during his return to State Farm Arena on Tuesday night.

Young discussed his return to Atlanta prior to the game.

"It's been crazy, it's been different," Young said, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. "From everything, I've just been, to be honest, trying to soak everything in since I've been back, just the new experiences and things like that that, obviously, I'm not used to. It's super unique and something that I've been thinking about these past few weeks."

The 27-year-old was in the midst of his eighth season with the Hawks when he was traded to Washington as part of a Jan. 7 swap.

Young earned four All-Star nods during his tenure in Atlanta, leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2020-21 season. He finished his Hawks career with averages of 25.2 points, 9.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on 43.2/35.1/87.3 shooting splits.

"I just wanted the Hawks fans to know how much I love and appreciate them …," Young said Tuesday, via Robbins. "Getting drafted, obviously the (draft night) trade … I still found a way to make a name for myself, make a name for my team and try to put this city on the map where people were talking about us. You can't do that without the fans. The fans showed us so much love throughout the years that I was here, even the years that we was down. It felt like there was still a lot of love. So, I've got so much love for this city and these fans."

He didn't suit up in Tuesday's contest, as he's still recovering from a sprained right knee and bruised quadriceps.

Atlanta ultimately emerged with a 119-98 win over Washington.