Following their unceremonious exit from the NBA Play-In tournament at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks are making a key addition to the front office. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team has hired Onsi Saleh to be an assistant general manager.
“ESPN Sources: Atlanta is hiring Golden State’s Onsi Saleh as an assistant general manager. Saleh — who had been VP of Basketball Strategy and Team Counsel with the Warriors — has worked closely with Bob Myers and Mike Dunleavy Jr., and previously with Spurs CEO RC Buford,” Wojnarowski tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Saleh, noted by Wojnarowski in a tweet, contributes significant front office expertise to the Hawks. He most recently held the position of Vice President, Basketball Strategy & Team Counsel for the Golden State Warriors. In this capacity, Saleh aided Warriors’ GM Mike Dunleavy in all basketball operation aspects, acting as a key advisor for roster building – encompassing trades, signings, and draft strategies. Handling legal matters for the team, Saleh supervised league compliance, salary cap, collective bargaining agreement analysis, immigration, and other related areas.
He served in other capacities for the Warriors organization as well such as Basketball Strategy/Assistant team Counsel and Director of Basketball Strategy & Team Counsel. He also worked closely with Spurs CEO R.C. Buford, serving in several capacities. He is the latest Golden State Warriors front office alum to work with the Warriors, following Travis Schlenk’s run as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager.
Saleh will surely be needed in an offseason that might see significant changes to the roster. Rumors festered around Dejounte Murray’s future with the team as current Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields works to build a competing roster around Trae Young. Meanwhile, per Sports Illustrated’s All Hawks, Young spoke to the media about the roster and the future of the team.
“Every year teams are different, obviously, I want to be here, but I want to win. I want to be here and I want to win championships here and do that, but I want to win, I mean, that is pretty much all it is for me, that is my motto and that has been me from the beginning.”
The Hawks finished the season with a 36-46 record, good for 10th in the Eastern Conference. After their miraculous NBA Playoffs run in 2021 they’ve found themselves in the Play-In Tournament for the past three seasons. The Atlanta Hawks front office, with the addition of Saleh, will look to improve the fortunes of the team to make them a viable contender.
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