Hawks Elevate Onsi Saleh to President of Basketball Operations, Sign Long-Term Extension
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The Atlanta Hawks have promoted general manager Onsi Saleh to president of basketball operations and signed him to a long-term contract extension, the franchise announced in a press release.
“Onsi possesses a rare combination of valuable leadership qualities and a clear vision that will position our franchise to compete at a championship level,” team owner Tony Ressler said in the statement. “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 as an assistant general manager after serving as vice president of basketball strategy and team counsel with the Golden State Warriors. He was elevated to GM last April when the Hawks dismissed former head of basketball operations Landry Fields.
The 35-year-old executive finished second in this year’s Executive of the Year voting. His first offseason in charge included signing 2026 Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year, $60 million free-agent deal, securing 2025 Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels on a four-year, $100 million rookie-scale extension, and engineering a draft-night trade that dropped Atlanta from No. 13 to No. 23 while adding this year’s No. 8 overall pick.
During the season, Saleh sent Trae Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert before acquiring Jonathan Kuminga from Golden State. The new arrivals helped the Hawks win 20 of their final 26 regular-season games and secure the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed.
While the promotion is not expected to alter Saleh’s day-to-day duties, it solidifies his position atop the basketball operations hierarchy and leaves room for Atlanta to add a general manager in the future. The Hawks enter the offseason with additional draft capital, long-term salary-cap flexibility, and a core featuring Jalen Johnson, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu.
Source: Hoops Rumors
