The Atlanta Hawks visit the nation’s capital on Wednesday to start a home-and-home series with the Washington Wizards.
This matchup marks the first time Wizards guard Trae Young will face his former club – and he’ll make his return to Atlanta on Friday.
Young was traded to Washington last January after spending seven-plus seasons with the Hawks. The four-time All-Star has averaged 19.9 points and 10 assists per game while helping the Wizards get off to their first winning start through seven games since 2021-22.
In a podcast interview before the season, Young made it clear he had no hard feelings toward the Hawks or the city.
“I plan on playing for a long time,” he said then. “… That’s why I wanted to leave the right way, you know what I’m saying? And for me to not have any, like, bad blood with anybody in the city or any of the fans.
“That’s why I wanted to leave on the right terms. And sometimes breakups are meant to happen, but just how they go down is what’s most important. But for me right now, obviously my 10 toes are here in D.C.”
Both teams head into the first leg of the double-dip following wins. The Hawks bounced back from a loss on Saturday in New Orleans with a 108-104 defeat of Indiana on Monday to pull even on their three-game road swing.
Washington, meanwhile, enters with back-to-back wins – something that happened only four times last season — following Monday’s 103-94 victory at Orlando.
The win over the Magic marked the Wizards’ second straight game holding an opponent to fewer than 100 points. Washington limited Charlotte to just 29.7% shooting from the floor in a 95-79 decision last Friday.
The lights-out defensive performance allowed the Wizards to start NBA Cup East Group C action with a victory. Washington’s second NBA Cup contest will be Friday in Atlanta.
While Young has been stellar, he shares the backcourt with Kyshawn George, who has contributed across many facets of the game (16.1 points, 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per contest).
“We’re definitely going to (put the ball in George’s hands) because of his unique skills that he has with his passing, his ability to get to certain spots,” said Wizards coach Brian Keefe. “He’s been terrific all year (defensively). He picks up full court, he pressures the ball. That initiates the start of our defense.”
Washington’s interior defense, meanwhile, leans on the combination of veteran Anthony Davis and former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr.
Davis, in his 15th season, has started all seven games after dealing with a variety of injuries last year. The three-time league leader in blocked shots has provided 1.6 steals per game this season, including a four-swipe outing at Orlando. Sarr, who missed Monday’s contest, averaged two blocked shots per game in 2025-26.
The Washington lineup looks considerably different from the version CJ McCollum left behind when he moved to Atlanta in the deal for Young. Wednesday marks his return to Washington, where he played 35 games.
McCollum faced the Wizards twice last season, but not in Washington. He scored 25 points in a 126-96 Hawks rout on Feb. 26.
The veteran guard (14.3 points per game) ranks as the No. 4 scorer in the Hawks’ balanced attack. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21.1 ppg) sets the pace after a 34-point outburst against Indiana.
Alexander-Walker knocked down nine 3-pointers against the Pacers to bounce back from an 0-for-7 performance from long range against New Orleans.
“The thing about Nickeil, he’s still playing on the defensive end, too,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “He seems to make plays on both ends of the floor. He seems to be playing with so much confidence.”
