The Atlanta Hawks are answering their biggest offseason question of who will be calling the shots following news from ESPN’s Shams Charania that they are hiring Bryson Graham to be the new senior vice president of basketball operations.
He will be joined by fellow newcomer Peter Dinwiddie, whom the Hawks hired as the senior vice president of strategy and operations.
Both figures boast extensive NBA track records. Charania first reported the hires on X.
“The Atlanta Hawks and new General Manager Onsi Saleh are finalizing deals to hire New Orleans Pelicans GM Bryson Graham as the team's Senior VP of Basketball Operations and Philadelphia 76ers executive Peter Dinwiddie as Senior VP of Strategy and Analytics, sources tell ESPN,” Charania posted on X on June 9.
“Two significant front-office hires for the Hawks and Saleh. Graham started as an intern in New Orleans, rose to the GM role, and leaves after 15 years with the Pelicans. Dinwiddie has worked in the 76ers front office since 2020 after 14 seasons with the Indiana Pacers.”
Charania revealed in a follow-up report that Saleh would retain similar power to Fields, who joined the organization in 2021 and assumed control during the 2022 season.
Graham spent 15 years with the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming their GM last season.
Charania wrote that Graham “helped guide” many of the Pelicans’ unearthed talent, including being part of the staff that drafted 2024-25 Most Improved Player and All-Defensive First Team selection Dyson Daniels, which may or may not be a positive.
Dinwiddie, a “well-respected executive throughout the NBA,” per Charania, spent 14 years with the Indiana Pacers before joining the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020.
Dinwiddie has also “played a key part of dozens of trades, signings and transactions.”
Neither the 76ers nor the Pelicans are strong examples other teams should look to emulate at this stage. They are closer to full tear downs than they are being contenders, with injury issues (which are not Dinwiddie and Graham's fault, to be clear) a theme for both.
How far from contention the Hawks view themselves is the question that will define how they operate this offseason.
Hawks hires underwhelming after early buzz
Given the stakes, Saleh calling the shots, while previously reported as a possibility, is underwhelming, and even more so when considering the bang with which this venture began. Atlanta fired GM Landry Fields after a four-win improvement despite in-season changes.
They hired an outside firm, leading to prominent figures like Bob Myers and Masai Ujiri being linked to the job.
Saleh arrives with a respected background as a strategist and team counsel.
It remains to be seen what kind of roster changes these hires will lead to. However, a splash could be on the table, so long as it does not bankrupt the Hawks financially or in the draft capital they do have.
Whether that splash is to add or subtract from the current group is the elephant in the room, with four-time All-Star Trae Young the embodiment of that.
Young is extension-eligible this offseason and has a player option for 2026-27.
Dyson Daniels is also extension-eligible, while Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, and Larry Nance Jr. are free agents. Meanwhile, the Hawks can argue they have a young enough core to stand pat and develop.
That stance would bring the focus back to Young, who has made it clear that he is ready to win, and big, as soon as possible.
Whether or not the Hawks feel they are close enough to accommodate him is unclear.