Hawks promote Onsi Saleh to president of basketball operations

The Atlanta Hawks are officially keeping Onsi Saleh in charge of basketball operations for the long haul.

Atlanta announced Wednesday that Saleh has been promoted from general manager to president of basketball operations while also receiving a long-term contract extension.

“Onsi possesses a rare combination of valuable leadership qualities and a clear vision that will position our franchise to compete at a championship level,” Hawks owner Tony Ressler said in a statement.

Saleh has effectively been running Atlanta’s front office since last spring after the organization fired former basketball operations chief Landry Fields.

So while the title changes, the day-to-day responsibilities likely won’t all that much.

Still, the promotion further solidifies Saleh’s standing inside the organization after a very impressive first full year leading basketball operations.

As relayed byd by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Saleh finished second in Executive of the Year voting after helping reshape the Hawks’ roster aggressively over the past year.

Among the bigger moves: Trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, landing Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors, and signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency.

Atlanta also locked up Dyson Daniels long-term and continues building around a young core that includes Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu.

The Hawks finished strong this past season, winning 20 of their final 26 regular-season games before earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Now Saleh officially has the title to match the job he was already doing.