Report: Atlanta Hawks Denied Philadelphia 76ers Permission to Interview Onsi Saleh

The Atlanta Hawks denied the Philadelphia 76ers permission to interview Onsi Saleh, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. 

The 76ers fired president Daryl Morey after the team was swept in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the New York Knicks. 

Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager, is leading the search for Morey's replacement and he had his eyes on Saleh. Myers and Saleh worked together in Golden State. 

Saleh's Hawks went 46-36 this season. They made the playoffs but lost to the Knicks in the first round in six games. 

In the post-Trae Young era, Atlanta is building around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Johnson made his first All-Star team this year, Daniels won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award last season and Alexander-Walker won it this season.

The Hawks made two blockbuster trades this season. They traded Young to the Washington Wizards and sent Kristaps Porziņģis to the Warriors. 

Saleh acquired Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum from Washington and Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield from Golden State. 

After the Hawks' season ended, Saleh spoke about Atlanta's future. 

"We are not one player away," Saleh said. "The best iteration of this team is going to be through development and our players currently getting better. We're really excited about the future and what holds there, from the draft to the flexibility moving forward, all that stuff. We're in a good place, position set up moving forward, and our coaching staff has just been remarkable this year."

The Hawks have the eighth overall pick in this year's draft. It will be fascinating to see if Saleh makes another big trade this summer to become a legitimate championship contender.

Atlanta has been linked to Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in trade rumors. 

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