Trae Young has managed to earn an ejection before even stepping on the court for his new team.
The four-time NBA All-Star guard, who was acquired by the Washington Wizards from the Atlanta Hawks in early January, is not set to make his debut for the Wizards on Thursday night against the Utah Jazz. However, he still found a way to be ejected for leaving the bench area in Washington’s 123-118 loss at home to the Houston Rockets.
In the third quarter of that game, Young stepped on to the court on Monday to protest a non-call against Tari Eason and was issued a technical foul and ejection. Eason was also ejected.
Young later joked about the incident on social media. “Don’t expect me to get ejected too many more times D.C.😂 .. but I’m definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I’m back for my brothers!” he wrote in a post on X.
Young has been nursing MCL and quad injuries, and has not played since the end of December. Young announced on social media earlier on Monday that he was targeting Thursday for his return.
The Wizards have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the last decade, reaching the playoffs just once in the last seven seasons. They hope the recent arrivals of Young, who averages 25.2 points per game over his career, and 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis will revive their fortunes, alongside a glut of young talent acquired through the draft thanks to those bad seasons. Davis has been out since January with a hand injury.