Atlanta Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh has yet to discuss the team’s trade for Kristaps Porzingis. He cannot yet due to league rules. The same is true for Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens, who did provide some telling context for their decision.
Stevens was also unable to get into specifics about the Porzingis trade, subject to the same rules as Saleh that restrict such dialogue until the deal is finalized (July 6).
Still, it was clear that, on the Celtics’ side, the move was financially motivated.
“I think the second apron basketball penalties are real,” Stevens told reporters on June 25. “I’m not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month. So, I do think that there’s I think that that that can’t be overstated.”
Stevens’ mention of the second apron is not surprising, but his admission of how much it even he, one of the most respected executives in the game, had to learn is telling.
Saleh’s explanation for the Hawks’ trade back in the 2025 NBA Draft is also telling.
“You never know if somebody’s going to be available when you move down that far,” Saleh told reporters on June 25. “We felt good about a bucket of players if we did get there, and it just – it was the right thing to do for us. It was just made sense for us and where we’re at, and I think it just helped our future a little bit. So, yeah, good trade.
“We like to bucket up with players that could potentially be there at 23, and it was really hard to give up that pick at 13. That’s a really – that’s a lottery pick. Just given the context of where we’re at, and – it just made sense to do something like that just for different purposes when it comes to roster building and things like that. So, it just felt like it was the right move. Good, fair deal when we came down to it.”
Celtics president's comments a valuable message for Hawks
Saleh previously said his philosophy was always to take the best player available, and it would be hard to argue against Newell being that on Atlanta’s board, especially at 23.
NBA insider Jake Fischer and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor both reported that the Hawks considered Newell at 13, aligning fairly close. The latter called the Hawks getting the same player at 23 a “Huge W.”
Saleh will likely echo his sentiments about the draft trade when explaining getting Porzingis.
However, Stevens’ comments will loom large for a Hawks ownership group that has been hesitant to go into the luxury tax.
Saleh has said he has the authority to go into the tax, and getting into the tax is different than where the Cs are, needing to avoid the extremely prohibitive second apron amid a 2025-26 season-ending injury to their star Jayson Tatum.
Still, the Celtics are proof that even the best, most well-built teams are vulnerable.
The Hawks capitalized on that with a trade for Porzingis, who should help solidify their interior. They could easily find themselves in a similar situation if they are not careful, though.