The Atlanta Hawks shocked the NBA world when they traded Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The team received an undwhelming return for arguably its second-best player in franchise history. The deal followed Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh’s confident trade philosophy, which suggests that Atlanta could make other moves before the Feb. 5 deadline.
Onsi Saleh Will Not Wait When It Comes to Making Deals
Saleh spoke to the media via Zoom on Jan. 13 for the first time since trading the Hawks’ four-time All-Star. He spoke on Young’s positive impact on Atlanta and the franchise, but when helpful trades surface, the front office leader said they will not hesitate to get them done.
“If there are deals to be done, why wait, is my philosophy … If you like something that makes a lot of sense, we’re going to do that. We just do what’s best for our organization. And, you know, I’m not one to really wait on anything like that,” Saleh expressed confidently.
Throughout Young’s eight seasons in Atlanta, the team consistently struggled to generate half-court offense when he went to the bench. The Hawks heavily relied on forcing turnovers, leading to easy transition buckets. In fact, they rank inside the top six in pace each of the last four campaigns.
However, Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s offensive breakout gave Atlanta an unexpected scoring, shot-creating machine. He averages 20.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game, cementing himself in Most Improved Player conversations.
Jalen Johnson took an All-Star, All-NBA leap, putting up 23.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. He also shoots a career-best 36.0% from deep on 4.5 attempts per contest. As a result, the Hawks had less need for Young’s pick-and-roll-heavy offense. Saleh spoke about this in his press conference.
“I think the guys we got back made a lot of sense for us. We’ve also seen the evolution of our team. We have a lot of ball handlers … a lot of guys who can initiate offense. Jalen’s emergence … Dyson on ball, Nickeil on ball, CJ on ball,” said Saleh.
Questions surrounded, essentially, salary dumping Young, but the Hawks’ general manager remains confident in the team’s decision.
Saleh Gives Another Hint About Hawks’ Trade Plans
Saleh did not give out much concrete information, but he told reporters, “We’re not going to do anything that’s a quick fix for this season.”
This statement lets fans know the team does not want to give up assets for a player on an expiring contract. However, he specified “this season,” leaving the door open for Atlanta to make a big move for the future.
Anthony Davis has been linked to the Hawks for several weeks, and he still has two more years left on his contract. While acquiring Davis comes with huge injury and financial risks, Saleh did not rule out a big move before the deadline.
