For new GM Onsi Saleh, a lot riding on Kristaps Porzingis’ health
Mark it down, Hawks fans.
Kristaps Porzingis, the hope-lifting but oft-injured centerpiece of general manager Onsi Saleh’s busy offseason, is healthy and is going to play a lot of games.
So says Saleh himself.
“We’re super confident in Kristaps’ health and him playing a healthy season and having a great season,” Saleh said at his news conference last week at State Farm Arena. “We wouldn’t have made the trade if we didn’t think that.”
Saleh went so far as to say there was “no hesitation” to make the trade that brought him to Atlanta.
If you’re not familiar with the 30-year-old Porzingis, he might be summed up this way: 1) His array of skills has earned him the nickname “the Unicorn.” 2) His injury history is not quite as exceptional.
In June, Saleh traded with the Boston Celtics for the 7-foot-2 Latvian, sending Georges Niang (acquired last season at the trade deadline) and also swapping second-round picks. Boston was able to unload Porzingis’ $30.7 million salary in exchange for Niang’s paltry (by NBA terms) $8.2 million contract.
If he is not re-signed, Porzingis’ expiring contract will go off the Hawks’ books next offseason and create salary-cap room — no small benefit there. But there’s also the matter of the impending season and how Porzingis can impact the Hawks’ prospects in the present. His arrival has helped fuel a heady outlook for the season. The FanDuel sportsbook has given the Hawks an over/under win total of 47.5.
The Hawks were 40-42 last year and haven’t won 48 games in a season since the 2015-16 season, when Trae Young was a junior at Norman (Oklahoma) North High. (Go, Timberwolves!)
Porzingis isn’t the only reason for such optimism — Saleh also has added veteran help in Nickeil Alexander-Walker (via trade) and Luke Kennard (signed as a free agent), and a breakout season from Jalen Johnson is widely expected.
But Porzingis — who can defend the rim, shoot 3-pointers and attack the basket — is by far the most significant addition to the roster.
For his career, Porzingis has averaged 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 36.6% from 3-point range.
How much could the Hawks use a player with that versatility?
Dating back at least to the 1967-68 season, there hasn’t been a single Hawks player who matched those numbers even for a season, according to Stathead.
In fact, if you add in Porzingis’ 1.9 made 3-pointers per game, no Hawks player has matched those numbers even for a 10-game span over that same time frame.
Unicorn, indeed.
You can understand why Saleh would jump at the chance to graft that onto the roster.
“The different lineup variabilities that we can have with him and the things that he can provide offensively, defensively — again, super excited,” Saleh said.
On the other hand, Porzingis has averaged 55.7 games per season over his nine seasons. He missed all of one year with an ACL tear. Last year, he missed the first 17 games of the season as he recovered from surgery to repair what was described as a rare leg injury. He missed significant time later in the season with a mysterious respiratory illness. He played in 42 regular-season games.
He did, though, recover from both conditions and was superb playing for the Latvian national team in the EuroBasket tournament. For the Hawks, his play and improved health only made them more confident in the trade. (For what it’s worth, Porzingis has observed that he has performed his best coming off summers playing for Latvia.)
“We felt comfortable doing (the trade) at the time, we feel great about it now,” Saleh said. “We’re excited for him to play a bunch of games this season. We’re really excited to have him on our team.”
While the cost for Porzingis wasn’t high and there’s the potential ancillary benefit of his expiring contract, this trade is one to judge Saleh by.
There’s a chance that Porzingis continues to have trouble staying on the court and doesn’t give as much as expected to the Hawks, who consequently don’t make the anticipated jump.
But there’s the possibility that the Hawks are banking on, that Saleh has made a deft move, perhaps understanding the risk isn’t nearly as great as it appears on the surface. He wouldn’t have made the trade otherwise, right?
It’s the sort of move that Saleh’s counterpart with the Braves, Alex Anthopoulos, has made a living off making across town.
Promoted into the job after the curiously timed firing of Landry Fields, Saleh is off to what appears to be a strong start. On draft night, the Hawks were able to obtain an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans to move down from No. 13 to No. 23. Given that the Pelicans could be highly uncompetitive this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it turns into a top-10 (or better) pick. From the Pelicans’ side, the deal is confounding.
Further, Saleh’s selection of the versatile Asa Newell out of Georgia and the acquisitions of Alexander-Walker and Kennard appear to have made the roster deeper.
If it all works out, the Hawks could finally move up the standings and out of the Play-in Tournament, their destination for each of the past four years. And with Indiana and Boston already without superstars Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, respectively, after they tore their Achilles, the Hawks could find their ascent eased.
But a lot will depend on Porzingis — and not only how well he meshes with All-Star guard Young, but also with what frequency.
Saleh’s regime begins with his expectation that the new do-it-all big man with a history of injury will play in a “bunch of games” and produce accordingly.
For the sake of Hawks fans whose hopes have been dashed more times than they care to count, may it be so.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
