Atlanta fired general manager Landry Fields after missing the playoffs and placed assistant Onsi Saleh in charge of basketball operations.
The Hawks also began a search for a president of basketball operations who would oversee the front office.
Two play-in defeats end Atlanta’s season
Atlanta finished eighth in the Eastern Conference at 40-42 but lost both of its play-in games.
Orlando beat the Hawks 120-95 before Miami won 123-114 in overtime in Atlanta, leaving the team outside the main playoff bracket.
Owner Tony Ressler said the franchise faced a pivotal summer and needed greater precision in its basketball decisions.
Saleh takes day-to-day control
Saleh joined Atlanta in May 2024 after working in basketball strategy and legal roles with Golden State.
He had previously spent five years with San Antonio, eventually becoming the Spurs’ director of strategy and process.
Saleh would run basketball operations while an outside advisory firm helped Atlanta search for a new senior executive.
Fields leaves after three seasons
Fields became general manager in 2022. Atlanta reached the playoffs in his first season but missed them in the next two.
His most visible decision came with the first pick of the 2024 draft, when the Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher.
Risacher averaged 12.6 points as a rookie and became a Rookie of the Year finalist. His development remained one of the foundations inherited by Atlanta’s next front-office team.
