Latest NBA Award Results Should Give Hawks Fans Plenty of Hope For The Future

The Atlanta Hawks are currently in a first round series battle with the New York Knicks and the series is tied 2-2 heading into a pivotal game five tonight.

This was the expectation at the beginning of the year, but how the Hawks have gotten to this point was not expected. Still, this Hawks team has one of the most talented young cores in the NBA and has a chance to add to it this summer with optionality and a likely top ten pick.

While it takes a lot of teamwork and coordination to make a successful NBA franchise, the guy steering the ship deserves a bulk of the credit for the work that he has done last offseason and during the season to get the Hawks to this point and make their future look so bright. Today, the NBA announced the winner of the Executive of the Year award, and while Boston Celtics executive Brad Stevens took home the award, Atlanta general manager Onsi Saleh came in second.

Hawks GM Onsi Saleh finished 2nd in Executive of the Year voting.

Saleh just completed his 1st season as the lead exec and ATL made a 6-win jump while also improving the future.

The NAW addition + the Pels draft trade were 2 of the best moves by any team this cycle. pic.twitter.com/iFEhCKbZkF
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) April 28, 2026

Should he have won?

I think that while Stevens is excellent at his job and the Celtics are a contender because of it, Saleh made the best two moves out of any other front office executive during the offseason.

Saleh was elevated to the general manager role for the Hawks last offseason, and he went right to work. He was able to sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a favorable contract, and Alexander-Walker turned into the winner of the Most Improved Player award and is a key starter for the Hawks during their playoff run.

Ahead of the draft last season, Saleh traded Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick for Kristaps Porzingis and while Porzingis only played 17 games, the Hawks later flipped him to the Golden State Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. While inconsistent, Kuminga has been critical for the Hawks in their playoff series against the Knicks and could be a long-term piece for this team going forward.

The best move that Saleh made, though, was on draft night last summer. The Hawks moved from the No. 13 pick to the No. 23 pick in a deal with New Orleans, and in that trade, Saleh was able to get back an unprotected pick from the Pelicans that is the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee's selections. The 2026 NBA Draft is expected to be one of the best in recent memory, and New Orleans pre-lottery position is 7th, and the Bucks are 10th. Atlanta has a young core that is competing in the playoffs, and they also have a shot at the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Not only that, but Saleh was able to land Dyson Daniels a contract extension that locks him in with the Hawks for the next four seasons.

This is the best position the Hawks have been in in quite some time, even more so than after they made the conference finals in 2021. Saleh still has to make the right moves to make this a consistent championship contender, but Hawks fans should take comfort in the recent track record and decision making.

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