It has been nearly two months since Landry Fields was relieved of his duties as general manager. Since then, Onsi Saleh has been promoted to GM in his place while the organization has been openly searching for a fresh voice in the front office. Atlanta has now hired two new faces, and they do not appear to be finished.
Among the two executives heading to Atlanta as part of their front office shakeup, there is one name that stands out in particular. Bryson Graham, the general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, is heading East for a new role as Atlanta's senior vice president of basketball operations.
This new role suits Graham better. He will report to GM Onsi Saleh, as will Peter Dinwiddie, Atlanta's other new front office hire. While Graham was climbing up the ranks in the Pelicans front office for 15 years, team success and trade negotiations were not the organization's strong suit. However it should not go unmentioned that even in his lone year as GM, he never had full control over the transactions they made. That was former lead executive David Griffin, who was fired not long after the 2024-25 season concluded.
So what's so different this time around?
The future outlook and current trajectories of the Hawks and Pelicans could not be more different. New Orleans, who finished last season 21-61 (14th in the West), could look to blow up their core and start fresh next season. They already shipped away Brandon Ingram and the rest could follow. Atlanta, however, has hopes of making noise in the wide-open Eastern Conference next season. They have one of the more promising young cores in the NBA and a real foundation for the front office to work with. They are entering an offseason where not much needs to be done, other than retaining their core and hitting on draft picks.
Luckily for the Atlanta Hawks, their new VP of basketball operations excels at scouting and making impressive draft selections. His track record speaks for itself. His insight was a large factor in New Orleans selecting talents such as Trey Murphy III in the mid-first round and Herb Jones in the second round. He also took a risk on the undrafted Jose Alvarado, who is now a key member of the Pelicans rotation as a two-way role player.
The Hawks make their first selection at pick 13 on June 25th's NBA Draft. They also hold pick 22, which they acquired in the Dyson Daniels trade last offseason. In an important summer that could define the next decade of Hawks basketball, adding Graham to a room of excellent decision-makers in the front office is a smart, calculated move.