Onsi Saleh's reputation among Hawks fans has fluctuated greatly over the past calendar year. When he built this roster in the offseason and added an unprotected pick from the Pelicans, fans were ready to build the statue.
When the team started to underperform, those statue plans were scrapped immediately. Now, after moving on from the Trae Young era, finding a balanced team, and still holding onto important future assets, it's time to break out the blueprints yet again.
Can you imagine if the team had gone in a different direction for its decision-makers in the front office? Just about a year ago, the Hawks were casting a wide net for their front office; Bob Myers and Tim Connelly were both in the mix to potentially come and help Onsi Saleh, who had just been hired by the team.
Instead, it seems like Saleh got the reigns to build this team, and that was the best decision Tony Ressler could have made. This isn't to say Myers or Connelly would have created a — they both have track records of success, of course — but it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than Saleh of setting this team up for the present and the future.
Hawks almost went a completely different front office path
It was no secret at the time that Atlanta was interested in Bob Myers to play an important role in its front office, and NBA insider Marc Stein recently wrote that Atlanta hasn't been the only team vying for his services since his tenure in Golden State ended a few years ago: "Myers has already brushed away overtures from Phoenix, Atlanta and presumably other NBA teams since leaving the Warriors after the 2022-23 season."
In an alternate universe, Bob Myers is running the Hawks. In this universe, Onsi Saleh took only one season to correct course and fix the mistakes of the previous regime.
Things almost got hairy during trade season, to be fair. Anthony Davis sounded like a realistic target, the Trae Young trade (on its surface) felt like an admission of defeat, and the Hawks were bumbling along on the edge of play-in world. But cooler heads prevailed, Saleh trusted the vision, and now Nickeil Alexander-Walker is Michael Jordan and Jalen Johnson might be a first-team NBA player. Everyone enjoy the good old days, because they're happening right now.
Building a winner is like construction on a house. Last offseason, Saleh laid the foundation of longterm success in Atlanta. This offseason will be about hammering everything home, and he's given Hawks fans major confidence that he can do that.