Even in the final days of the regular season, General Manager Onsi Saleh isn't afraid to make moves. While many other lead decision-makers are sitting on their hands as the year comes to a close, he's making sure the Hawks have all the tools necessary to make a deep run in the postseason.
They have a legitimate chance this year. One thing that could end up hurting them, though, is their depth at the five. It wasn't a problem a week ago, but a horribly timed injury to backup center Jock Landale is going to force them to make some key adjustments in this final stretch.
Saleh knew he needed to act fast, making an unexpected signing
Tony Bradley, a big man who was previously with the Indiana Pacers during their run to the NBA Finals in 2025, was picked up by the Hawks the second they got the chance. It didn't come first, though. Atlanta didn't have an open roster spot, meaning they had to get rid of someone beforehand.
Just minutes before making the move for Bradley, they announced that they'd requested waivers on forward Caleb Houstan. This opened up a spot, leading many to believe that they'd use it on a big man.
Hawks went with Tony Bradley.
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) April 4, 2026
Am a bit surprised they went external, but it makes sense. https://t.co/o6PeAAnB1p
Not just any big man, though. The original assumption was that it would be Christian Koloko. As a rim-protecting center with great positional size and organizational familiarity, it didn't seem like a bad shout. It would've made perfect sense, actually.
Instead, they decided to go external, leaving fans a bit lost. They must've had serious doubts about Koloko's ability to impact the floor in a postseason environment. Meanwhile, Bradley, who of course didn't play a whole lot during Indiana's run, brings in valuable backup big man experience in that difficult setting.
Atlanta values their two-way guys and didn't want to mess up rhythm
Plus, it's not like Bradley is a completely new face to this organization. While he's never suited up for the Atlanta Hawks in a regular season game, he did spend time with their Summer League team before the season.
It's obvious that he made a great impression there, because if he didn't, Christian Koloko likely would've gotten the promotion he deserves. Jock Landale's re-evaluation after the regular season will be crucial, as it's clear that they truly value having a reliable backup center in the fold.
Nothing is more important than depth in today's NBA landscape, making it hard to go on any sort of run without a proven presence down low in the second unit. From top to bottom, Atlanta's roster could be one of the league's most dangerous as the postseason approaches.
Whether it's Landale, Bradley, Koloko, or even Mo Gueye, one thing's for sure: there's never again going to be a shortage of bigs in this new Hawks regime.