The Atlanta Hawks made two front-office moves on Monday. They named Bryson Graham, former General Manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations and Peter Dinwiddie, former Executive of the Philadelphia 76ers, as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Analytics. Both of these moves were made by new GM Onsi Saleh. The Hawks front office seems to be taking shape with these two hires.
Bryson Graham Gets a New Shot
Bryson Graham has been with the Pelicans organization since 2010, where he started as an intern. He was promoted to GM of the Pelicans last season after previous GM Trajan Langdon went to the Pistons. The Pelicans went 21-61 under Graham. He was fired in April after the Pelicans finished with the third-worst record in the NBA.
Shams Charania broke the news and pointed out that Graham seems to have an eye for spotting underrated talent that others might not be looking at. He was on the staff that drafted Dyson Daniels, who earned the NBA Most Improved Player Award. Graham has an eye for identifying talent, which should get Atlanta Hawks fans excited.
A Deeper Look At Peter Dinwiddie
Peter Dinwiddie started with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020. Before that, he served as Senior VP of Basketball Operations with the Indiana Pacers for 14 seasons. The Atlanta Hawks have a plan, and these two hires make it seem like they’re bringing in people who excel at identifying talent and specialize in drafting.
The Hawks hold the 13th pick in the draft, which seems like a perfect pick for Graham to pull off his magic. It’s not a top-ten pick or anything, but he can utilize his scouting talents to find under-the-radar players. There might be a player the Hawks take that people don’t agree with, which will turn out to be a special player.
Final Thoughts
Both of these moves are good hires by new Atlanta Hawks GM Onsi Saleh. He has a plan in place, and these two will be a big part of it. The Hawks will look to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
