Washington Wizards guard Trae Young was ejected from Monday night's game against Houston...before having played a single game with his new team.
Young was traded to the Wizards from Atlanta back in January in exchange for veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Young has been sidelined since December with knee and quad injuries, although he was set to make his Wizards debut on Thursday against Utah. However, he ended up making his presence felt through an unplanned appearance on the court in Monday's game.
The events played out with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter with the Rockets leading the Wizards 88-73. With the Rockets on offense, Houston forward Tari Eason pushed Wizards guard Jamir Watkins in his chest, knocking him backwards onto the floor. It seemed obvious to everyone and Wizards players on the court slowed down waiting for a foul. Inexplicably, no foul was called, and the Rockets took advantage and drove to the basket for an easy layup.
Young was so disgusted that he walked onto the court to argue with the closest official while the Wizards were dribbling up the court. The official blew the whistle to stop play and called a technical on Young, leading to his ejection. However, he did manage to raise attention to the previous play as the officials went to replay to review it. As a result, Eason was called for a technical foul.
Trae Young EJECTED for running on the court 😳
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 3, 2026
He still hasn't played a game for the Wizards yet 😅 pic.twitter.com/MFfK2ZrtDS
This wouldn't be the first time that NBA officials missed a foul call, but this one was pretty obvious. The refs need to be better than this.
As far as Young, it will be interesting to see if this incident will delay his planned Wizards debut. Under NBA Rule No. 12, Section VII, c, any player who leaves the bench area during an altercation is subject to an automatic ejection and a minimum one-game suspension. The next game for the Wizards is tomorrow night in Orlando, so the suspension would normally be applied for that game. However, since Young was already considered "out" for Tuesday's game, there is debate as to whether the suspension only applies for games where he is active and physically able to play. If that is the case, Young would have to serve his suspension for Thursday's game and his debut would be postponed until Sunday, when the Wizards face the Pelicans.
The Wizards managed to outscore the Rockets the rest of the way, but it wasn't enough as Houston came away with the 123-118 win.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
