Some interesting names have been floated for the top Hawks operative.
The Hawks had, by most accounts, a successful season under lowered expectations.
Despite trading away their second-best player in the offseason, they managed four more wins in 2024-25 than in 2023-24, and in the process they have found a better fitting collection of young talent to supplement Trae Young — who was named to his fourth All-Star Game this past February.
So, it came as a surprise when the Hawks dismissed general manager Landry Fields and promoted Onsi Saleh to the same position earlier this offseason. Along with that news came a statement that the organization was looking to fill the open position of president of basketball operations above Saleh. Firm Sportsology Group is currently heading that search.
The signs point towards the Hawks trying to push for a higher level of contention after a season of seemingly taking their foot off the pedal a bit — to use a metaphor of course. With that aim comes the desire to hire a big name to fill the open president spot.
But who could the main targets be? Well, some of the NBA’s most prominent reporters and insiders are weighing in.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype brought this report just yesterday about some rumored names being considered:
Following Atlanta’s decision to fire Landry Fields, promote Onsi Saleh as general manager, and conduct a search for a President of Basketball Operations, several candidates have emerged for the job, with Trae Young extension talks and other roster decisions looming this offseason.
Bob Myers and Tim Connelly are atop Atlanta’s wish list, league sources told HoopsHype. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves hope to sign Connelly to an extension this offseason. Myers is enjoying his role at ESPN, and many around the league believe it would take a significant salary and, more importantly, the perfect fit for him to return as an executive.
In addition, other candidates for Atlanta’s president position include Orlando Magic Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations John Hammond and NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and others potentially, league sources told HoopsHype.
The Stein Line also reported Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand as a candidate for Atlanta.
While those are some candidates who could join the Hawks, there’s more intel on another front office member expected to leave the organization.
In addition to Fields’ departure with one more season remaining on his contract, according to league sources who spoke with HoopsHype, former Hawks Vice President of Basketball Operations Grant Liffman departed from the organization as Chris Haynes first reported, and Hawks executive advisor Chris Emens is not expected to remain with Atlanta, league sources told HoopsHype.
The ‘biggest fish’ on the list looks to be Bob Myers. He is currently working as a television NBA analyst, but his history as the general manager who played a large part in building and overseeing the four-time champion Golden State Warriors in his past life is quite the résumé.
John Hammond is best known as the general manager in charge of the Milwaukee Bucks during the late 2000s and 2010s. You may remember this as a time when he, among other things, had a major voice in drafting and developing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokuonmpo. Hammond has since been in the upper ranks of the Orlando Magic organization dating back to 2017.
Brand and Abdur-Rahim are both former Hawks players, with Brand the current Philadelphia 76ers general manager. Brand spent the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons in Atlanta as a player. Shareef Abdur-Rahim — a Hawk from 2001 to 2004 — was an executive in the Sacramento Kings’ organization after his playing career, but he has worn the title of president of the NBA G League since 2018.
What exactly is the main objective of principal governor Tony Ressler during this whole process? Well, John Hollinger of the Athletic peeled back the curtains on the inner workings of the front office and ownership shortly after the Landry Fields firing:
If it never totally felt like the Hawks were coming or going the last few years, perhaps there’s a reason: Though Fields was theoretically in charge, the number of competing organizational voices was cacophonous.
Per league sources, owner Tony Ressler’s son Nick has had significant input, and while his day-to-day involvement appeared to lessen this season, I’m told he’s still in the room on any important decision. Coach Quin Snyder, lured from a Costa Rican beach vacation to take over in early 2023, still has significant say (and the salary to prove it). The front office has other voices — such as Saleh, assistant GM Kyle Korver, adviser and former Cavs GM Chris Grant and agent-turned-adviser Chris Emens. And in addition to those I already named, seven other people in basketball operations have VP titles.
Ressler also sometimes ventures outside the ops office for advice, including leaning on minority owner Grant Hill. Most plugged-in people think Ressler’s first choice to fill the job would be Hill, and that Hill would already have the job if he wanted it. Alas, it appears he’d rather run USA Basketball and call NCAA Tournament games than get his foot stuck in this quicksand.
Instead, the Hawks are using a search firm, one that will be threading a difficult needle: Finding somebody with enough gravitas to install as team president, yet willing to take on what promises to be a very challenging job. Is Bob Myers, Masai Ujiri or Tim Connelly taking this gig? Probably not, even if Ressler opens his checkbook wider than the Grand Canyon. But is a retread or relatively unproven exec a rung lower (one rumored candidate is Sixers exec Elton Brand) sellable as a team president?
Marc Stein and Jake L. Fischer back in their April 23 post to Stein’s substack, the Stein Line shared more details about the recent moves:
Atlanta’s change of direction this week was greeted with no shortage of surprise within the Hawks’ own walls this week, league sources say, even though there were a few murmurs about Fields’ status last week among attendees of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament held every April for NBA Draft hopefuls.
Among the early post-Fields rumbles in Atlanta:
The Hawks are looking to pair their eventual hire with the recently promoted Onsi Saleh. The Hawks have already elevated the well-regarded cap strategist to GM after hiring him away from the Warriors, who had hired Saleh away from the Spurs. Saleh has also worked closely with scouting and pro personnel departments in his past roles.
Atlanta is using the search firm Sportsology to run the process. The firm has consulted for numerous NBA franchises in recent years, including Sacramento and Dallas.
League sources tell The Stein Line that Hawks owner Tony Ressler has indicated that he is willing to pay the going rate for a top-tier and experienced lead decision-maker to manage the Hawks’ hopes for gradually taking their promising young core to legitimate Eastern Conference contention.
Myers’ name has been mentioned as a potential target in Atlanta, too, and he has already worked closely with Saleh when both were with the Warriors…though it is hard in the extreme to picture the former Golden State shot-caller moving that far away from the West Coast.
As we reported on Twitter on Monday, Sixers GM Elton Brand is another name to monitor here. Brand spent time with the Hawks as a player and weighed front office interest from Atlanta before his current rise through Philadelphia’s front office ranks. He also holds Duke ties to Hawks head coach Quin Snyder and minority owner Grant Hill and still has a home in Atlanta.
Who else could the Hawks pursue in terms of established executives if they can’t get into the Myers mix?
As long as Tim Connelly holds an opt-out in his deal with the Timberwolves, he’ll be linked to other jobs, whether that be the Hawks or his old friends in Denver.
Who do you think should be the next president of basketball operations in Atlanta? Feel free to discuss below.