Atlanta Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh said that he was “locked in” with four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young during his introductory press conference, and he put actions behind his words on Tuesday.
Saleh’s first move – after hiring Patrick Graham and Peter Dinwiddie – was to trade for Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics.
That is undoubtedly a “win-now” kind of move.
“Me and him spoke the other day, and he’s just locked in for this season coming up. We’re both locked in,” Saleh told reporters on June 23. “We have a lot of optionality this summer between the the moves we made at the deadline, a little bit more optionality, flexibility with the trade exceptions that we got, long way to the tax, different things that we could do, but also have authority to go into the tax between the two. So, just looking forward to locking in and then next season I think it’s going to be a fun one.”
Saleh’s aggressiveness comes on the heels of Young speaking openly about being more driven to win a championship before his home state Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals.
“It’s even more motivating for me,” Young told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren L. Williams ahead of Game 1 in June. “I want to win a championship bad. But the fact that it’s in my city and I’m just watching it now, if you thought I wanted it bad before, it’s even worse now.”
The Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers to win the franchise’s first title.
Saleh noted the impact that both teams’ berth in the Finals signals a shift in the way winning groups are put together.
Trae Young on same page with Hawks GM
“I think we’re making strides. I think it starts every day in practice, every day when you walk in this facility. But one thing we saw from these two teams at Oklahoma and Indiana, they were developmentally focused,” Saleh said. “The rules have changed when it comes to roster construction. But you look at those two teams, they really developed. They built a culture, and the chemistry and cohesion between those groups I think stood out when you watch them play they. They both play the right way. So, try to bring that mentality and that um that direction to our program.”
Fortunately for Saleh, Young seems to have already bought into that mindset before the executive even assumed control of the roster. The PG does not turn 27 until September, giving he and the Hawks plenty of runway together if they wish.
“I understand the space that we’re in right now. There’s probably two, really, teams that people in the – or maybe three – in the East that people really can see as contending teams. And for us, I don’t think we’re there yet, and I feel like that’s okay. I feel like here in a couple years we could be, or in the next year we could be,” Young told Chris Haynes on “The Haynes Briefs Podcast” in April.
“This is a good spot for us to work on the right habits. Because we have talent.”
The Hawks are in position to take advantage of a weakened Eastern Conference where several of the top teams will be missing star players for most if not all of next season.