Atlanta Hawks president Onsi Saleh left his mark on his new team quickly, trading franchise icon Trae Young and remaking much of the Hawks roster. While dealing Young has been his signature move, Saleh and the Hawks have thrived in picking up affordable role players, not hunting for superstars.
Monday, the Hawks traded for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins, a solid backup guard made expendable by the Thunder’s depth and need to trim payroll. Coupled with Monday’s signing of CJ McCollum, it’s another small but shrewd move for the improving Hawks.
Atlanta Hawks filling in roster gaps
Saleh’s moves have paid off big in the aggregate, even if each individual move has been modest. He started out by signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year deal for $60.6M, one that looks like a huge bargain after he averaged 20.8 points and won Most Improved Player. Saleh also swapped the No. 13 pick in last year’s draft for the No. 23 pick and a 2026 first-rounder, which ended up being No. 8 overall.
When the Hawks traded Young to the Washington Wizards, they got McCollum, a veteran who hit two game-winning shots in the playoffs. McCollum re-signed Monday for one year and $21M, four years and $191M less than what Young received from the Wizards. At the deadline, the Hawks flipped the injured Kristaps Porzingis and his expiring deal for Jonathan Kuminga, who immediately became one of the team’s top reserves.
Now they’ve added Wiggins, a three-and-D wing who makes a very affordable $17.6M over the next two seasons, with a team option for $8.3M in 2028-29. Wiggins was in and out of the deep Thunder rotation last season, but he’s only one year removed from being a key reserve on a title team.
Atlanta Hawks have greatly improved at little cost
The Hawks closed the 2025-26 season strong, going 20-6 after the All-Star break and finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. They lost in the first round to the New York Knicks, 4-2, though the Knicks lost twice as many games to the Hawks as they did to their other three playoff opponents combined.
They’ve brought in four new rotation players for relatively low cost, which may be even lower if Kuminga extends his contract at lower than next season’s $24.3M team option. Jalen Johnson makes $30M per season, not too pricey for an All-Star forward, while 25-year-old center Onyeka Okongwu is signed for just $33M for the next two seasons.
Atlanta has the chance to do even more, with payroll flexibility, a number of tradable contracts and the No. 8 pick in Tuesday’s draft. Their biggest need is probably at lead guard, and there should be plenty of good ones available at No. 8.
Saleh hasn’t taken a lot of big swings. He hasn’t needed to, since he’s nearly batting 1.000 on trades. Getting Wiggins for two second-rounders far in the future is another solid hit.
