Trae Young Got Ejected From A Wizards Game Before He Ever Played In One

Trae Young has spent his professional career working within the unenviable anonymity of Atlanta Hawks basketball, known mostly for a high usage rate that has not necessarily corresponded to team success. Young made the career mistake of helping his team make a conference final in Year Three and then doing nothing of note since, which along with the arrival of younger and more cost- and basketball-efficient teammates made a trade piece in Year Seven. Worse, he got traded to a team with a much worse past, present, and future than the Hawks—the Washington Wizards. Typically, this is just eight-figure exile, a way to earn your $48 million without the stress of competitive expectations before entering the free-agent market in hopes of a well-paying gig in the actual NBA. Young, though, has revealed himself to be an inspired strategic thinker during his Wizards stint despite that stint not having officially begun. He has not played a minute for the team since the trade because of a balky knee, but is expected to make his debut Thursday night at home against Utah, or as we know them, the Mountain Time Zone Washington Wizards. So how could Young make a splash in advance and churn a bit of local buzz for this most customer-resistible of the Tankin' Ten? Easy. Simply get thrown out of a game while still in his civilian clothes. Viral marketing has never been so whimsical.