Landry Fields was promoted to general manager of the Atlanta Hawks in 2022. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Atlanta Hawks announced Monday that they’ve fired general manager Landry Fields after a 40-42 season. Onsi Saleh was promoted to GM and will oversee all basketball operations.
The Hawks finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference this season, losing both their play-in tournament games last week.
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In a statement, team owner Tony Ressler said:
“Every offseason we evaluate how we operate and ways we can improve our organization. As we enter this pivotal offseason, we have several complex decisions ahead of us, and we are committed to providing the human and financial resources needed to ensure that we navigate these decisions with a high level of precision and foresight. Adding an accomplished, senior-level leader to provide strategic direction and structure as well as partnering with Onsi and our talented front office is a top priority.
“I would genuinely like to thank Landry for his leadership during his time with us. Landry made our franchise better and left contributions that have positioned us for growth. I am grateful for his dedication and wish him success in his next endeavor.”
The Hawks said they’ll now begin a search for a president of basketball operations, aided by a search firm.
The move ends Fields’ three-year tenure with the team. After joining the team as an assistant general manager in 2020, Fields was named the team’s general manager in June 2022. Less than a year later, Fields drafted Kobe Bufkin with the Hawks’ first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Injuries have limited Bufkin’s time on the court, though the guard is still just 22. Fields took Seth Lundy in the second round, but the team eventually released him in December.
After going 36-46 during the 2023-24 NBA season, the Hawks landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft despite low odds. The team selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher with that pick. As a rookie, Risacher averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
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Since being promoted into the general manager role, Fields compiled a .470 winning percentage over 215 games with the Hawks. Prior to being an NBA executive, Fields spent five seasons in the NBA, seeing time with the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
Saleh joined the Hawks in 2024. Prior to that, he served as the vice president of basketball strategy and team counsel for the Golden State Warriors. Saleh was with the franchise when it won the 2022 NBA championship. Before joining the Warriors, Saleh spent five seasons at the San Antonio Spurs’ director of strategy & process/chief of staff.
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