Q. How has it been for you coming back into the building? What has this moment been like for you?
TRAE YOUNG: It's been crazy. It's been different 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 all just been -- it's super unique and something that I've been thinking about these past few weeks. It hasn't even really started yet, to be honest with you.
Q. When did it hit you that you wouldn't be wearing a Hawks jersey anymore?
TRAE YOUNG: When did it hit me? When I got to D.C., and I got off that plane, took a deep breath, and just was in a different space, and I was happy. I got a new home, and that's when I really knew and got to the arena and saw all the love that they showed me there, the ovation. I don't know if it was just one moment that made me feel like D.C. was home, but yeah, there's been a couple moments so far.
Q. I don't know if you've thought about this, but what do you want your legacy to be?
TRAE YOUNG: Oh, I've definitely thought about that. For me, I just want my legacy to be remembered as somebody who always gave their 110 percent, like effort, every time they were here, had a big impact on the kids, the youth. For me, growing up in Oklahoma, going to games, NBA games as a kid, that being like a big outlet for me for my dreams to feel like they could come true some day.
For me to have that same type of impact on the next kid, that's what I want my legacy to be remembered as.
Q. I know you put out a statement, but what do you want to say to the Hawks fans?
TRAE YOUNG: I mean, for me, that's a big reason why I'm even accepting doing this. For me, I wanted the Hawks fans to know how much I love and appreciate them since day one. From getting drafted, obviously the trade and things like that, but for me to come here, and I still find a way to make a name for myself, make a name for my team, and tried 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 it was down, it felt like there was still a lot of love. I've got so much love for this city and these fans.
Q. Going off of that, you did so much for the community while you were here, but not just you, your wife, as well, and your kids were a part of that, as well. Talk about your family settling in in a new city, and in what ways do you hope to impact that area the way you did here with your wife?
TRAE YOUNG: Definitely. My wife and two kids definitely had just as much of an impact, and the city has impacted them in a big way, too. My daughter was born here. Both my kids went to school around here. I got to take them -- I had a whole dad day just taking my son to school. So little things like that. I'll never forget those memories.
I was talking to my wife earlier about those types of things that we've been through here, and it's just reminiscing on so many good times and so many good memories here.
I definitely want to bring that to D.C., too, obviously. Everywhere I go, I want to leave a mark on the community and the kids and the next generation coming up, so that's not going to change going to D.C. All those people up there understand that, and I like to show my actions more than just talk about it, too.
Q. We did see that you posted the hourglass on your story the other day. Is it possible that you may make your Wizards debut in Atlanta on Thursday?
TRAE YOUNG: I've been leaving it up to the doctors and our team. I've been just following the plan. The plan has been going good so far.
You never know, but we'll see. I'm just following that plan.
Q. You talked about the moment, how you felt the moment you realized that you were actually traded. But the night that you were actually traded, you were walking through that tunnel for the last time. Take us through what you were going through mentally.
TRAE YOUNG: Yeah, so it was crazy. I think a lot of people probably assumed when I walked back during the game the first time that I knew I was traded. I was just going back there to literally -- to be honest, I think just going back there to check my phone just in case or something, see if my agent had called or anything, because something could have happened that day. I didn't know. I was just checking to see if my agent had called. I had went back, and it had just been announced a minute ago. For me, I didn't even want to know if I did get traded during the game. That's why I went back out real quick, because I wanted to be with my team, my brothers, and all the people that we put in so much work in training camp and the summer and over the years, like Jalen and Dyson and Nickeil and all these guys, Keaton. I just wanted to be out there with those guys for if it was one last time, that whole time and not to be worried about anything else and for them to understand that that's why I was here and also I showed up.
I kind of rushed back out there, and then I guess everybody else already knew before I got back out, so I guess people in the stands were saying stuff. That's kind of how you saw those reactions. But I just wanted to come back out there for those guys.
Q. What's it like to walk into the Wizards' locker room and not go into the home locker room? Is it kind of bittersweet? Would you rather be playing in your own debut coming back with the Wizards?
TRAE YOUNG: Yeah, that's a great question. To your first point, yeah, I've only been in this visiting locker room for like concerts and stuff. All these guys when they come here and they have these concerts, shows and things like that. So I've only been back there for that. So it is weird. It's something that I'm going to have to get used to, of course, coming back here. I'm looking forward to being with this team and doing that.
Q. Is it bittersweet that you weren't able to play and have you been thinking about that moment?
TRAE YOUNG: Definitely, definitely. When I got traded and still -- you have to go through a whole process of physicals and things like that, and then trying to rehab while you're doing all that stuff is tough. So when I was doing my rehab stuff, obviously I wanted to hopefully be back in time to play. I've just been following the track, the path that our medical team has put me on, and I'm in a great spot right now.
I wish I could have played tonight, my first night here, but it just wasn't in God's plan. I'm going to be playing back here a lot in the future.
Q. When do you think you'll play this year?
TRAE YOUNG: I'm going to follow my team's plan on that, but good sign.
Q. Trae, is there anything that you can say that will forever connect you to the city?
TRAE YOUNG: Say that question again.
Q. Is there anything you can say or just one word you can say that will forever connect you to this city?
TRAE YOUNG: One word? I don't know, I hope it's just love. I hope it's just love because it's genuine love for me and my family to the city and to the rest of the family, to everybody, my teammates that's been a part of this. Even some of y'all in the media that I got to see for so many years, and we got into it maybe a couple times. But it's still love, at the end of the day. It's genuine love, like the stuff that I do in the community every season, holidays. It's something that I genuinely love doing.
I hope that's just the one word that you can connect me with with the city.
Q. You mentioned the brotherhood that you had here in Atlanta. You haven't been in D.C. very long but the fans have already seen you on the sidelines hyping up your new teammates. What has that process been like acclimating yourself and warming up for the first time?
TRAE YOUNG: Yeah, that was an unbelievable moment, just being able to get out and get some shots up on the court in that gym. I've been looking forward to getting some shots up in that arena. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of people in that arena. That's been one of the most things that I'm looking forward to the most is just getting up shots and being around those guys. Obviously you can tell on the sidelines, I'm super supportive of my guys, and I just want to see them all put on a show and succeed as much as they can.
I've had young teams before here in Atlanta, and I feel like for me, having that experience, I know how to kind of gel with young guys. We have a lot of foreign guys, too, on this team. I think we have more in D.C.
I'm used to having foreign players that I can get along with, even if they're speaking different languages on the side. I can still maybe get a hint of what they're saying. But it's part of building that chemistry and just being around them. It's important for when it comes to playing on the court.
Q. If the Hawks put a (indiscernible) out on the court tonight, how do you think (indiscernible)?
TRAE YOUNG: I don't know, bro. I've been thinking about that this whole time. For me, of course if they did that, that is probably one thing that is a plus about not playing right now. I can maybe get some emotions out of the way the first time and not be so emotional every time.
Q. Was there a moment where you felt like maybe your time in Atlanta had come to an end before that trade?
TRAE YOUNG: Yeah. I mean, the hardest part I feel like even in every field is when sometimes you're there for so long and you kind of just feel like you're stay is not as welcomed as much anymore, and that's okay. That's life. I feel like that's in every field, no matter what we do.
We play a sport, and that's not necessarily fair. Nothing is ever fair in life, and you just have to make do. I wasn't healthy this year. KP wasn't healthy this year. There's a lot of things that we could have done, but that's neither here nor there. That's the past. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm happy to be where I'm at. Everything is God's plan, man. I believe in the man above, so for me, that's why I think I'm where I'm at, and going to have success going forward.
Q. Trae, being with the same team for most of your career, were there any challenges or something that you had to adjust to in this transition?
TRAE YOUNG: For me, I went into this with an open mind. I didn't try to expect anything or think about it too much. For me, I knew this was a new experience for me, and I know everybody else around me knows it's a new experience for me. The best part about being with this organization, they made it so comfortable for me in this transition. A lot of them have known me since I was in high school, a lot of them being in OKC and things like that.
Them making it very easy for me in the transition has made the transition way smooth. No, I didn't really expect anything, so that's why I've just been happy where I'm at and taking it day by day.
Q. You mentioned the love that you feel for the fans, just love being part of this moment. Explain some more of the emotions you're feeling and how will you feel when you go out there and see some fans still wearing your jersey?
TRAE YOUNG: Yeah, for me, I don't know what to feel right now to be honest. It's easy to say that you live in the moment, but it's so hard to do. It's so easy to look ahead and so easy to try to prepare yourself for something in the future that is unpromised.
But I think it's even harder to live in the moment, and for me, that's what I'm trying to do right now is just not focus on anything else in the future, what's going on 10 minutes from now, an hour from now on tomorrow. I just want to focus on what's going on right now and just soak everything in because you only get one first experience.
I'll never have to do this again, thankfully, because I don't know if I could do it over and over again.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports