Hawks shake up front office in shocking move

In a surprising move, the Hawks have announced that general manager Landry Fields has been fired. The club also announced that Onsi Saleh has been promoted to general manager, and that a search for a President of Basketball Operations will begin immediately.

“Every offseason we evaluate how we operate and ways we can improve our organization. As we enter this pivotal offseason, we have several complex decisions ahead of us, and we are committed to providing the human and financial resources needed to ensure that we navigate these decisions with a high level of precision and foresight. Adding an accomplished, senior-level leader to provide strategic direction and structure as well as partnering with Onsi and our talented front office is a top priority,” Principal Owner Tony Ressler said.

“I would genuinely like to thank Landry for his leadership during his time with us. Landry made our franchise better and left contributions that have positioned us for growth. I am grateful for his dedication and wish him success in his next endeavor.”

Let’s begin with Saleh, who spent three seasons with the Warriors before joining the Hawks last May. He ended his tenure as vice president of basketball strategy & team counsel and helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA Championship. Before his time with the Warriors, Saleh spent five years with the San Antonio Spurs, two world-class organizations.

As for the Hawks’ decision to fire Landry Fields, it was a complete and total shock that Tony Ressler decided to do this for a few reasons.

Landry Fields didn’t do a ton of great things as Atlanta’s GM, but he certainly didn’t do enough to warrant being fired. In one of the most pivotal offseasons in recent memory, Fields hit a home run on the Dejounte Murray trade. It was initially a trade that sunk the Hawks organization, a deal that Travis Schlenk advised the Resslers not to do because it was an overpay. It was then, and it is still now. Yet Fields recouped a ton of capital back in the form of two first-round picks and Dyson Daniels.

Even more, in a draft class that was dubbed the worst in recent memory, Fields seemingly hit on Zaccharie Risacher. Fields untied the knots that the Resslers forced Schlenk to tie. The Hawks are finally in a position where the foundation is strong and trending upwards. They are set to feature one of the youngest starting fives in the league next season, are likely to have two first round draft picks in the upcoming draft, and have no bad contracts on the book.

For the first time since their Eastern Conference Finals run four years ago, it felt like the Hawks had a plan that Landry Fields was helping orchestrate. Now, Onsi Saleh will take over the reins, and he’ll be tasked with turning Atlanta into a legitimate contender after back-to-back exits in the play-in tournament.

Watch on SportsTalkATL: Hawks fire Landry Fields