Notes and Quotes From Onsi Saleh's Preseason Media Availability

The 2026-2027 NBA season is right around the corner.

The Atlanta Hawks are opening training camp next week in Nashville, and it will be the official start to what Atlanta hopes is a return to the playoffs, but with a better ending.

Ahead of media day and training camp next week, Hawks President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh met with the media to talk about his team's upcoming season and this summer.

1. Saleh feels they got better

The Hawks had an offseason that flew under the radar. While teams like Miami, Philadelphia, and Toronto made moves to go all-in, Atlanta opted to bank on player development, drafting three rookies and adding players to their depth, such as Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins. When talking today, Saleh talked about how he felt this team got better this summer and why he felt that way:

"We felt like we got better this summer. We not only felt like we added to the culture and identity that we're trying to build, but last season was a foundational season, and we're building off of that. When you look at the transactions we made, the guys that were returning, we really do feel like we got better. I know the East got a lot better, too, but we're going to be a very competitive team this season, and that's the expectation. We're going to compete on both ends. every single minute, every single game, but we're also going to get better as the season progresses and as the years progress.

So when you look at the roster decisions that we made, and you think about it going to the draft, adding guys like Kingston, Zuby, and Henri, who were just at the top of our list when it came to the draft. And the guys, in the sense of eyes, here's the numbers, have been the three guys we were actually targeting. So we felt like we got better at the draft.

Bringing in Lu and Aaron from a championship team, guys that played in the finals a couple years ago, we needed that pedigree in our room. With our group, we felt like it's going to make us better on the court, and those guys will also make us better."

2. Staying flexible

One thing the Hawks made sure to do this offseason was to keep their options open for future moves. Atlanta has a large number of expiring contracts that they could move or they could open up cap space next summer. Saleh talked about how important that flexibility is in this era of NBA basketball:

"Yeah, I mean, I think the last couple of summers just showed how important flexibility has been. There are situations where you can take advantage of the rules. There's ways that we have a couple guys this summer that are going to make us a lot better. But just having that flexibility and moving forward is great. We really like the group that we put together this season. We think we're going to be competitive. And we want this group to be super competitive. And other teams look at the schedule like, s**t, we've got to play the Hawks.

Yeah, the flexibility is big. We've seen it now. It impacts other teams. We can go the other way, too. And you've just got to be careful with all the transactions you make. Really, it's become, you know, the CBA in a lot of ways, if you can, you can, you can, you're going to pay for it in years. So we just want to be maintaining that flexibility, but we're really excited about our team."

3. On the depth and the third center

Late in the season, Jock Landale was injured and it hurt the Hawks in the playoffs, as they did not have another center to backup Onyeka Okongwu, relying on Mo Gueye (who is not a center) and Tony Bradley. This offseason, the Hawks drafted Henri Veesaar, but he tore his ACL earlier this month and will miss the season.

That spot is once again being looked at as a potential weakness on this roster, but Saleh seems comfortable with the depth they currently have:

"Yeah, you know what? We're pretty comfortable with our group right now, honestly. Like, in all truth, a big part of Henri's development this year was going to play an achievement. So, in the sense of how it impacted the Atlanta Hawks, like, we actually feel pretty good about our group. Like, O (Onyeka Okongwu) has been phenomenal, and, like, it's crazy.

Like, this is, I think it was the first year O was going into a season and had a full-time starter with KP last year, and, you know, it was a year of first for a lot of our guys, but, you know, having O and Jock, who Jock looks phenomenal this summer, too, and O has gotten a lot better, and everybody's going to be excited about this development and progress. I feel good about that, but then we also have guys that can slide over. Zuby (Ejiofor) can play the 5, he can play the 4. Asa (Newell) has played the 5 before, so I feel like we can move guys around, but that's ultimately a decision for Quinn to play the guys, but we feel good about our rotation."

4. Trading Zaccharie Risacher and landing Lu Dort

Perhaps the biggest move the Hawks made this offseason was sending former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team deal that also landed them Lu Dort from Oklahoma CIty. Saleh talked about Risacher's time with the Hawks and what Dort will bring to the roster:

"Zacch did everything right for us. He's really good for us. We wish him the best, and I think it's just when you have an opportunity to trade for a guy that was first-team all-defense, NBA champions, started for an NBA championship team, and we saw, like, the physicality in the playoffs, and we needed to up that a little bit."

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