Mouhamed Gueye has shown Hawks fans flashes of truly elite defensive prowess during his time in Atlanta.
Unfortunately, the Hawks face a difficult dilemma this summer - currently, Saleh's squad rosters seventeen players, with only fifteen eligible to be signed on opening night in October.
Will Mo Gueye be able to sway Atlanta's front office with his elite defensive metrics, or has the youngster only shown flashes rather than enough light to merit an extension?
Mo Gueye's (by far) team-best defensive metrics are his greatest ally
Beyond the simple eye test - tune in to any Hawks game last season, and you would've seen Gueye play his heart out any given night to pair with elite length and defensive feel, resulting in one of the most impactful defenders on the floor in the NBA on a per-minute basis.
The numbers back this conjecture up convincingly. Gueye posted a DARKO DPM of +1.9 last season - how many other Hawks would you guess achieved a number even above 0.3?
The answer is only two - Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu each achieved a metric of roughly 0.8, still well below Gueye. While Mo's defense has been sensational, it's his offense that brings cause for concern.
Especially with bringing in the talented rookies in Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 NBA Draft - as well as extending Jock Landale to a 1 year, $14M deal, it's getting a bit too crowded in the frontcourt for Gueye to feel safe and secure as a long-term Hawk.
Gueye's health and roster conundrum may be his undoing
If Mo played for any other organization in the league, the decision would be simple - keep the youngster signed, wait patiently for him to return to full health by January or February, and see what he has to offer for the final third of the season.
Unfortunately, the Hawks are stuck between Scylla and Charybdis - they have seventeen truly NBA-caliber talents, but are forced to part ways with at least two before October.
In an ideal world, Atlanta would be able to find a willing trade partner to move Corey Kispert and Buddy Hield - unfortunately, both remain on unfavorable deals for the next two seasons, making such an ask far pricier than Onsi Saleh likely is willing to pay.
To boot, Kispert and Hield could play a meaningful part in another trade later down the line - having a combined $23M in dead cap could be an easy way to facilitate acquiring an overpaid star at the deadline.
The clock is ticking for Onsi Saleh to make the decision nobody wants to execute - I, for one, am devoutly hoping that we get to see Mo Gueye make one final case for an extension this year.
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