Onsi Saleh Reflects on Blockbuster Trae Young Trade

The NBA trade season is fully underway, and the Atlanta Hawks kicked things off with a bang. The Hawks decided to finally part ways with their franchise star and point guard, Trae Young. 

While the Hawks might not have gotten the huge haul in return for Young, their front office decided that it was time to officially cut ties. Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh reflected on the trade and how difficult it can be to make a huge decision like trading a franchise’s star. 

“If there are deals to be done, why wait, is my philosophy. If you like something that makes a lot of sense, we’re going to do that. We just do what’s best for our organization. And, you know, I’m not one to really wait on anything like that. Trae has been so huge in our community. Him and (his wife) Shelby, what they’ve done, we just wish them the best. They’ve been phenomenal for our organization. (We’re) talking about a guy that’s been the face of our franchise for quite a long time.

I really wish him the best, and he’s going to do some cool stuff over there, too…But we like the trade, and what we did was something we really thought would help us now and in the future…The players coming back, I think they’re excellent fits with us and make a lot of sense for us, and we get deep in our rotation, too.”

Saleh expressed how much Young means to the organization and Atlanta, but how it’s still his job not to let things like that affect decisions he’s making on the job. This is what a GM needs to do. They can’t let emotions or personal connections get in the way of what is best for the team.

Unfortunately for Young, what was best for the Hawks was to trade him away and pivot their future in a different direction.