There's no hiding that the Washington Wizards flurry of blockbuster moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline came with several goodbyes to former players.
Between the package to acquire Anthony Davis that sent out veteran forward Khris Middleton, a savvy backup big man in Marvin Bagley III and two youngsters in AJ Johnson and Malaki Branham, Washington's roster saw several faces swap sides over the last couple months.
However, arguably the most notable departures came during the team's bold swing to land four-time All-Star guard Trae Young after the Atlanta Hawks made it clear that the end was near and Washington suprisingly found themselves listed as the playmaker's preferred landing spot.
In the player for player swap, Washington managed to land one of the top guard's in the league for CJ McCollum's expiring contract and swing man Corey Kispert, who's developed into one of the most servicable 3-and-D players in the league.
Obviously, McCollum wasn't viewed as a long-term piece for the Wizards when the team landed him in an offseason deal over the summer after opting to jump at the opportunity to move on from Jordan Poole when the team had the opportunity.
Meanwhile, Kispert's departure was somewhat bitter sweet considering the forward's development began in Washington, and he was on what many would consider an extremely team-friendly deal.
At the same time, it became clear that the Gonzaga product's fit with the new-look roster was a bit out of place and the chance to send the sharpshooter elsewhere for a chance at a fresh start seemed beneficial for both sides.
Nonetheless, with a departure coming pretty abruptly for McCollum and Kispert considering how quickly the Young deal came together, the two players didn't get the opportunity to gift the Wizards a parting gift.
On Thursday, it seemed that both former Wizards made it a point to give finally give their team a parting gift and honestly, it's a gift that could leave fans with mixed emotions.
CJ McCollum & Corey Kispert light up the Wizards
The Wizards hit the road on Thursday for a matchup against the Hawks in Atlanta, where they were quickly met with an abundance of firepower from two former players.
McCollum, who found himself in the starting lineup in this matchup, flashed a big-time performance that Wizards' fans got the chance to see a handful of times during his brief stint in Washington.
Finishing with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 9/19 shooting from field goal range, the veteran guard proved there's plenty still left in the tank.
As for Kispert, the versatile forward made his mark from the bench, exploding for a career-high 33 points and 6 rebounds on 11/19 shooting from the floor, including six makes from downtown.
Is it a gift the Wizards desired? Probably not considering no team or their fanbase really like to lose.
However, with Washington heavily in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 overall pick this offseason, every loss helps and that's exactly why while this gift may have been unwanted, it was needed.