The Atlanta Hawks pulled off a convincing 117-100 victory over New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. However, it seemed like nobody cared about their W as their franchise point guard headed to the tunnel for one last time.
Trae Young’s eight-season Atlanta tenure ended mid-game when news broke of his trade to Washington Wizards. The four-time All-Star was sitting in street clothes on the bench and nursing a quad injury before Shams Charania dropped the sudden trade bomb.
Trae Young Leaves Mid-Game After His Trade Announcement
A viral video clip showed Young leaving the bench area in the fourth quarter with about 30 seconds remaining in the Hawks’ blowout win.
He shook hands with a few fans courtside before disappearing into the tunnel for good without any big farewell speech. But folks notice emotion in his eyes during his quick exit from the court.
Trae Young leaves mid-game after his trade announcement 🥲
He leaves the court for the final time as a Hawk… pic.twitter.com/k5EgSjQkP7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 8, 2026
Shams Charania reported, “The Hawks are poised to turn the page on a new era with the emergence of Jalen Johnson and others, bringing a much more fluid style of play around their wings and depth. McCollum serves as a valuable plug-and-play veteran while holding a $30.6 million expiring deal.”
The Hawks are poised to turn the page on a new era with the emergence of Jalen Johnson and others, bringing a much more fluid style of play around their wings and depth. McCollum serves as a valuable plug-and-play veteran while holding a $30.6 million expiring deal. https://t.co/9xxV7eccwb
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026
The sudden trade announcement didn’t drop as a fluke. This season, the veteran guard was so underwhelming on paper. The Hawks are right now sitting at an 18-21 record. The worst part? Without him, their record is 16–13, while it is only 2–8 with him in the playing roster.
However, it felt anticlimactic for a guy who gave the franchise seven-plus seasons. But that’s exactly what set the internet burning. Fans couldn’t wrap their heads around the casual exit after getting shipped to the league’s worst team.
Fans Destroy Trae Young’s Dramatic Exit
Fans didn’t pull any punches to roast Young for acting like a decorated champion when he got salary-dumped for being traded.
One fan wrote, “Showing Fake Emotion.”
Another fan added, “Mfer walking off like he won the Hawks franchise 3 rings.”
A third claimed, “N—- got traded via twitter mid game.”
The fourth one added, “Boy did not give af about Atlanta lmao.”
The majority of the folks were left scratching their heads as Young walked off with his head high after the Hawks essentially paid to get rid of him. For the unversed, Atlanta traded him without receiving any draft compensation, just two veterans to make the salaries work.
Washington becomes Young’s preferred landing spot, giving him a chance to run a young roster. But the Wizards are not seen as a strong playoff team for having a 10–26 record. They haven’t even made the playoffs since 2021. Altogether, it became a cold-blooded optics.
