Weekend reflections: Hawks fire GM Fields after he calls for patience, Trae Young asks for urgency

Make that ex-GM Landry Fields. Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler announced Monday that he fired Fields and promoted assistant GM Onsi Saleh. Ressler said he will hire a president of basketball operations to partner with Saleh and “provide strategic direction and structure” for that part of the organization.

Both Fields and Young are right, from their respective points of view, but it seems Young’s urgency won out.

Fields was trying to decide on the direction of a team with several young players as part of its nucleus. He couldn’t make shortsighted choices. One reason the Hawks are stuck in the middle is because, with Young’s endorsement, they traded for Dejounte Murray three years ago.

But Young has reason to feel as if the retooling is moving too slowly. His reputation suffers from playing on losing teams in back-to-back seasons, even if that can’t be pinned mainly on him. The Hawks tanked during Young’s first two seasons in the league. Since then, they’ve produced as many seasons with no playoffs (two) as playoff series victories.

Ressler said the Hawks have “several complex decisions ahead of us” this offseason. Saleh and the president to be named later will need to pick a lane soon.

If the Hawks are going to build with young players, then Saleh needs to send Young away in a trade. Fields ended up getting as much value as he could out of the Murray trade last summer. Maybe Saleh will have better luck than Fields did with finding a deal for Young that salvages a draw out of a loss.

If the Hawks decide to keep Young, then Saleh must add a high-level starter, preferably in the frontcourt. He’ll have the means to do so this summer. The Hawks are projected to have as much as $41 million in space available below the luxury-tax line. Saleh can sign good, veteran free agents who fit the team’s timeline and needs.

Add the right players to the Young-led Hawks, and they should be significantly better next season. They won 40 games and finished eighth in the Eastern Conference. Give them, say, five more wins if not for a long list of injuries. Then, the Hawks might be in the playoffs while staying clear of the Cavaliers and Celtics in the first round.

Those circumstances are why calling the season a “failure” is a bit much. But Young is right to feel urgency about winning more games. Fields was right to say patience is needed. Both points of view are valid. It appears Young’s perspective won out.

Kirby Smart uses transfer portal to fortify defense

It’s one of the easiest predictions to make every year: Kirby Smart’s Georgia defense will be great. Lately, though, it’s been just very good by his standards. The Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in Bill Connelly’s defensive SP+ metric from 2019-21. The defense slipped to third in 2022, fifth in ’23 and ninth in ’24.

There’s no mystery about how that happened. Just look at the many recent ex-Bulldogs playing well in the NFL. Attrition was shaping up to be a problem for the defensive line in 2025. After the spring game, Smart said “we are not where we need to be on the line of scrimmage.”

They might be closer after Smart reportedly added a top transfer Sunday. 247Sports reports that Georgia signed ex-Army edge rusher Alo Modozie. He was the highest-ranked unsigned defender in the portal, per 247Sports (48th-ranked player overall). The Bulldogs also signed ex-Miami defensive tackle Joshua Horton (Langston Hughes High).

I don’t know if Smart’s defense will be great in 2025. It has a chance to be better with those experienced players added to a good group of high school recruits.

Drake Baldwin making it hard for Braves to send him down

I’m biased in favor of my opinions. I want to be right. Also, I like that Braves catcher Drake Baldwin was a standout hockey player in high school. That might be nostalgia about the many hours I spent playing NHL ’94 during college (if you know, you know).

So, maybe it’s my bias making me believe that Baldwin should stay up with the Braves. I hyped him during spring training. Baldwin ended up seizing his chance to win the job for opening day.

I reasoned that Baldwin’s poor numbers to start the season were the result of bad luck on batted balls. Now, his numbers look good: .733 OPS (which would be fifth best on the team if Baldwin had enough at-bats to qualify). That production includes a pinch-hit, go-ahead single in the eighth inning Saturday and a two-run homer Sunday.

Baldwin has been good. I previously argued that he should split time with Sean Murphy, but that’s a harder case to make with Murphy crushing the ball. He’s elite defensively, too. Baldwin may soon need to go to Gwinnett for at-bats. If that happens, the Braves know he’s ready if needed again.

Bad season gets worse for Atlanta United

Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila tried a new lineup at Philadelphia on Saturday. He got the same results. Atlanta United was shut out, again. The Five Stripes gave up soft goals, again. The worst eight-game start in franchise history (nine points) now is the worst nine-game start in team history.

Atlanta United is on pace to finish with less than the franchise-low 40 points for the season. That outcome seems impossible. The team spent $30 million in transfer fees on front-line offensive players. And yet, as the AJC’s Atlanta United beat writer Doug Roberson notes, they haven’t scored a goal in 253 minutes. Bad and boring are a terrible combo.

That brings up another thought: Would there ever come a time when Atlanta United fans stop showing up? That’s never happened before. Fan support has been constant, even during lean times. They still come out to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to urge on a club that hasn’t played for a trophy for five years and counting.

I understand why. Atlanta United games are relatively affordable. The atmosphere is festive. The team gained loyalty by becoming a top MLS club during their first three years of existence. There’s something to be said for sticking with a team even when it lets you down.

Atlanta United’s faithful fans deserve better results than this. They’ll be downtown, hoping for better, when the team returns here May 3.