Earlier this week, Onsi Saleh very nearly became the first general manager in the 21st century to earn Executive of the Year honors during his first season in the role.
Ultimately falling one spot short of Brad Stevens (now two-time winner of the award, last earning it in 2023-2024), Saleh’s snubbing for such a title may look egregious on paper. He orchestrated a vast number of moves for the Hawks that immediately elevated the squad to new heights, while Stevens simply held the Boston ship together after last summer’s roster deconstruction.
Unfortunately, the Celtics possessed one key factor that the Hawks fell short in this season, which Saleh no doubt intends to correct next year: winning games.
Saleh's one pitfall to Brad Stevens: the win column
Unfortunately for Hawks fans who had imagined Onsi as the inevitable winner of the award, fellow general managers often prioritize one factor above all else—winning games, especially as those wins compare to your preseason expectations.
Before the season began, the Hawks’ win column was estimated at 46.5, while the Celtics were expected to be comfortably below them in the Eastern Conference at 41.5 wins, due to the significant losses they suffered the summer prior.
Boston's star player, Jayson Tatum, went down with an Achilles injury that was slated to sideline him for the entire year. Meanwhile, they were also forced to send away some big names due to concerns about the second apron.
Jrue Holiday was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, Al Horford left in free agency to join the Golden State Warriors, and Kristaps Porzingis joined the Hawks (for a cheap price, I might add, to Onsi's credit). Boston was left without four of its six key players from its 2024 title run.
Despite all of this, the Celtics shattered expectations, emerging as the second seed in the East, all on the back of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and, most of all, Joe Mazzulla’s sensational coaching all year long. In addition, they got Jayson Tatum back from injury far sooner than expected, fresh for a clean postseason run.
Hawks fans would be correct in taking offense to this reasoning—after all, it was Coach Mazzulla who schemed their victories, not Brad Stevens. In Atlanta, Onsi Saleh wasn't just watching Quin Snyder cook; rather, he was cheffing up the very ingredients for Snyder to have at his disposal.
Saleh executed a flurry of bold, successful moves this season
Arguably Onsi's most impressive move came not too far after his inception as Atlanta's GM—the Pelicans trade for their 2026 first round pick. Saleh gave up the 13th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft for the 23rd pick and the Pels’ completely unprotected pick the next year.
Not only did the 13th pick, Derik Queen, end up facing significant hurdles on his way to a disappointing rookie campaign, but Asa Newell, the 23rd pick for the Hawks, played well above expectations as a promising piece of Atlanta's future—not even mentioning the lofty ceiling of the 2026 New Orleans pick.
Saleh also signed the 2026 Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a steal of a deal last summer (four years, $60M). Alexander-Walker completely broke out for the Hawks this season, shattering all expectations set the season prior.
Additionally, Saleh made the move to ship Porzingis out for the younger, more explosive Jonathan Kuminga, a fresh talent in dire need of new scenery. While Kuminga has certainly had his ups and downs, including this postseason against New York, Hawks fans should be elated to have the youngster around for the long haul, pending a mutually beneficial contract extension.
Saleh's boldest move, though, by far, was sending Trae out for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Widely scrutinized at the time, it looked as though Atlanta had sold low on their franchise cornerstone. In reality, Saleh was ahead of the curve. Modern basketball just isn't cut out for defensive liabilities like Young.
Not only did this move allow Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson to shine even brighter than before with the ball in their hands more often, but it also led to a surprising revival of CJ McCollum's game, proving to be a vital asset that's gotten Atlanta to six games against New York.
All told, Saleh's impact cannot be overstated. He's immediately turned around Atlanta's franchise outlook, and will be a strong candidate for the 2026-2027 NBA Executive of the Year, especially if the Hawks can just win a few more games.
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