Hawks ‘locked in’ on Trae Young, GM says

Committed to Trae Young

The Hawks have the veteran guard under contract for at least one more year, with the 26-year-old guard holding a player option for the 2026-27 season.

“We’re locked in with Trae. We talked last year (about) next season,” Saleh said. “We’re just locked in the next season, ready to move forward and be the best team that we could possibly be moving forward.

“And I think a lot of his leadership from last season went probably unnoticed to the common eye. Like the way that he helped develop our young guys and make them better was significant. So I mean just continuing on with that and hopefully just making our team better.”

Comfortable with picks 13 and 22

The Hawks have two first-round picks this season, and it gives them some flexibility. The Hawks could trade up or down in the draft.

But should they stand pat, Saleh said he felt comfortable making the final decision at those spots.

“I think the key for us is optionality,” Saleh said. “I think the two picks gives us that. There’s different things we could do, but I do feel really comfortable with 13 to 22. I think there’s gonna be good players there.”

Hawks have flexibility moving forward

The team can try to attack free agency and swing big. Saleh mentioned that he has the authority to go into the luxury tax, with the Hawks utilizing some of the exceptions they have available to them.

According to Spotrac, the Hawks have already used their non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Vit Krejci. They also have the Bi-Annual exception, as well as four trade exceptions created from deals made last season.

“It depends on how we structure contracts and things like that,” Saleh said. “We could have flexibility next season, too, next summer as well.

“So it is an important summer for us, for sure, and the goal is to get better through the draft and through summer acquisitions. We’re re-signing people that we really like on our team. So, yeah, excited for it.”

Hawks will draft the best available player

With just two rounds in the NBA Draft, teams don’t often select players for positional need. Saleh confirmed that the Hawks would draft the best available player to them, wherever they ended up falling.

“Ways to impact winning, I think, are just always important,” Saleh said. “Like, there’s skill sets that we probably would love to have, but at the same time, if somebody’s really good at something that impacts winning on either end of the court. That’s ultimately what we’re looking for, and that fits within the guys we currently have on our team.”

Hawks looking at four things

“It’s competitiveness, toughness, resilience and adaptability,” Saleh said. “Those are the things I look for in players.”