The Atlanta Hawks finished 40-42 this season, the No. 8 seed in the East, but never made it out of the Play-In Tournament after losses to Orlando and Miami (the second straight year they lost in the play-in). It’s a franchise at a crossroads, deciding whether to continue building around Trae Young or pivot.
Landry Fields will not be making those decisions. On Monday, the Hawks let Fields go and announced that Onsi Saleh has been promoted to general manager, while the franchise searches for a new head of basketball operations.
We have announced that we will begin the search for a President of Basketball Operations and have hired Sportsology Group, a leading provider of strategic advisory and operational support in the sports industry, to direct the process.
We also announced that Landry Fields has…
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 21, 2025
“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,” Principal Owner Tony Ressler said in a statement announcing Fields firing.
The Hawks allowed Fields to conduct the players’ exit interviews and speak to the media after the season before letting him go.
Philadelphia 76ers executive Elton Brand will be among those considered for the top basketball spot in Atlanta, reports Marc Stein. It’s an interesting job, but one where owner Ressler — through his son Nick, who is officially the Vice President of Strategic Planning and the alternate governor — is believed to have a heavy hand in personnel and player decisions, according to league sources.
Atlanta is at a crossroads. Trae Young, 26, is extension eligible off the $46 million he is set to make next season (Young has a player option for the 2026-27 season). Do the Hawks want to continue with him as their franchise tentpole? Young is a high-level offensive player (averaging 24.2 points and 11.6 assists per game last season) who is a liability on the defensive end, which has limited the Hawks’ ceiling (despite their 2021 run to the Eastern Conference Finals). There are other quality young players on the roster in Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. Should they be the foundation of what comes next? Should the Hawks try to trade Young?
Those are questions for the next head of basketball operations in Atlanta, and the search is on for that person.
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