Jalen Johnson

The Hawks traded Trae Young to Washington last Friday, roughly four weeks ahead of this season’s trade deadline. Speaking to reporters on Monday, general manager Onsi Saleh acknowledged that he could’ve waived until closer to February 5 to see what other opportunities materialized involving Young, but he explained that he liked the return from the Wizards enough that he didn’t feel the need to wait.

“If there are deals to be done, why wait, is my philosophy,” Saleh said, per John Hollinger of The Athletic. “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 cited increased cap flexibility as one reason why Atlanta pulled the trigger on the deal with Washington, though he repeatedly stressed during Monday’s media session that the Hawks value the players they acquired, CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The Hawks’ GM views the newcomers as players capable of complementing a core whose evolution this season is viewed as a major positive.

“Jalen (Johnson)‘s game has evolved so much, and he’s doing some amazing things on the court,” Saleh said. “Most importantly, I think he’s making his teammates better as well. And that’s how we kind of look at this as like as the group grows. It’s the group, it’s not simply just one player either, right? It’s Jalen, it’s Dyson (Daniels), it’s Onyeka (Okongwu), it’s Zacch (Risacher), it’s Nickeil (Alexander-Walker). We got two guys, Nickeil and Jalen, who have just made tremendous leaps, and when Dyson’s on the ball, we’ve seen that leap as well. So, again, it just comes down to what we’re seeing and how this fits the entire group rather than one person.”

Here’s more on the Hawks:

• Saleh declined to comment on whether the Hawks have pursued or will pursue a contract extension with McCollum, but referred to the veteran guard as “somebody that I think could fit here long term,” per Hollinger. McCollum is on an expiring contract, but at least one report indicated Atlanta has some interest in working out a new deal with the 34-year-old.
• The Hawks control three picks in the 2026 draft, including the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s first-rounders, which could be a top-five selection. Saleh made no effort to downplay how important this year’s draft is for the organization, according to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). “The draft is, to me, our biggest transaction period. The draft is how you build organically,” the GM said. “It’s how you build internally. And I feel like this is a really good draft, the talent that’s available. So again, that will be our most important transaction period. We’ve got to nail the draft. That’s going to be really important for us as we build this thing out.”
• It didn’t take long for McCollum and Kispert to make a positive impact on their new team, as Williams writes for the AJC (subscription required). Although the duo shot a combined 5-of-18 from the floor on Sunday, McCollum was a team-high +19 in his 24 minutes off the bench in the victory over Golden State. “I think he settled us,” head coach Quin Snyder said of McCollum. “There’s a level of poise and confidence that he has that when you’re on the court, whether it’s your teammates or even your coach, you see him with the ball and you feel confident in what he’s going to do.”
• After missing the past two games due to what the Hawks referred to as left knee inflammation, Risacher has had his injury designation updated to a left knee bone contusion, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. Risacher is considered questionable to play on Tuesday vs. the Lakers, while big man Kristaps Porzingis will miss a third straight game due to left Achilles tendinitis.