Atlanta Hawks executive Onsi Saleh has been signed to a long term contract extension and promoted to president of basketball operations the team announced.
Saleh was previously the team’s general manager, and helped oversee the transition period for the team after dealing former top pick Trae Young to Washington in January. Despite moving on from the franchise cornerstone, the team made the NBA playoffs before eventually losing to the New York Knicks in 6 games.
For his efforts, Saleh was named a finalist for the league’s executive of the year award before ultimately finishing in second place behind Boston’s Brad Stevens. The 39 year old’s name was linked to several clubs this offseason, including the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Hawks were steadfast in their desire to retain the executive and denied other teams permission to interview him for any vacancies.
“Onsi possesses a rare combination of valuable leadership qualities and a clear vision that will position our franchise to compete at a championship level. He is a gifted communicator and talent evaluator, widely respected by his peers within the NBA community,” said Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler. “He has already demonstrated a level of decisiveness and acumen that has changed the trajectory of our organization, and we are delighted to have him lead our basketball operations for a very long time.”
Saleh joined Atlanta in 2024 after having roles with Golden State and San Antonio. He would take over the general manager role last season, assuming the role after Landry Fields and the team parted ways.
“I have such tremendous gratitude for the trust and partnership that the Resslers have shown me since my first day in Atlanta,” Saleh said in a statement. “They have provided all the resources necessary for our front office to continue methodically building our program into one of the NBA’s elite. It’s an honor to lead this team, and I take seriously my responsibility to deliver for Hawks fans – I could not be more excited for what is ahead for our franchise.”
Atlanta currently owns the 8th and 23rd overall picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Per Spotrac, if the team’s roster were to remain unchanged, they would have roughly $252M in cap allocations for 2026-27, which would rank 10th across the league. That being said, the team will also see C.J. McCollum, Gabe Vincent, Jock Landale, and Tony Bradley hit free agency this summer, and have club options on Jonathan Kuminga, and Mouhamed Gueye.
Those contracts plus a few RFA/Two-Way deals add up to roughly $75M in potential savings depending on what direction the club chooses to move in. Atlanta also has several draft picks that they can trade as well, which could add up to an active summer for the club as they look to take the next step forward in their quest to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1961.
Photo: Warren LeMay. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.