The Atlanta Hawks enter the 2025 offseason as a source of intrigue for other teams, largely due to the continued absence of a confirmed top decision maker. More specifically, the Hawks’ link to one target in particular has garnered attention.

Atlanta was said to be eyeing Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri for the president of basketball operations vacancy. 

Those rumors have quieted down, but still did not go unnoticed.

“There is a strong sense in some corners of the league that this Toronto front office is under some tangible pressure to take a significant step toward competitiveness in the far-less-imposing Eastern Conference,” NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on June 6. “There is also much curiosity, for that matter, about the recent interest Atlanta expressed in Ujiri for its ongoing president of basketball operations vacancy.

“The Raptors, thanks to the aforementioned pressure, are generally expected to be active on this summer's trade market.”

The Hawks have been linked to several high-profile executives for their POBO vacancy. Marc Stein initially reported the Hawks’ interest in Ujiri, who has led the Raptors since 2013, guiding them to a championship in 2019.

“The Atlanta Hawks have interest in trying to hire Toronto’s Masai Ujiri as their new president of basketball operations, league sources tell The Stein Line,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote on May 14. “It was not immediately clear, league sources say, what sort of shot Atlanta has at prizing Ujiri away from the league's lone Canadian franchise.”

However, the Hawks have since left the door open for general manager Onsi Saleh to lead.

“Another interesting scenario has begun to circulate,” Fischer wrote on May 16. “They announced to the world on April 21 that they are searching for a president of basketball operations to take over the front office, but sources briefed on the situation have suggested that Atlanta could opt for making no additional changes to its management structure after promoting cap strategist Onsi Saleh to general manager.”

The Hawks also hired an outside firm to assist with their search, which has also seen figures like Bob Myers and Danny Ferry linked to the position.

Saleh assumed his position after the Hawks fired Landry Fields. He carries a respected background as a salary cap strategist, which would seemingly have a significantly different impact on the Hawks’ roster plans than someone such as Ujiri.

The Hawks have significant decisions to make on Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, and others.

Ujiri’s name being on the Hawks’ list suggests they could have bold plans in mind. Having Saleh, with his financial background, as a legitimate fallback plan is the antithesis of that.

That broad range of outcomes is intriguing enough before getting to the other offseason items.