Overview
- Reports from Front Office Sports and other outlets say ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps is in advanced talks to join the Hawks’ front office, but the Hawks and ESPN declined to comment and no deal is finalized.
- The reported role would put Bontemps on the basketball side of the organization working under Onsi Saleh, who was promoted to president of basketball operations and signed a long-term extension in May.
- Bontemps joined ESPN in 2018 after stints at the Washington Post and New York Post and has written for the network while appearing regularly on its studio programming and podcasts.
- The potential hire follows a growing trend of media figures moving into team roles, a path taken in recent years by analysts and reporters such as Kevin Pelton, John Hollinger, Lee Jenkins, Royce Young, and Cristina Daglas.
- Details about Bontemps’s exact responsibilities are not public, so confirmation and role clarity are the next developments to watch as the Hawks continue offseason roster work and approach the NBA Draft.