The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly in advanced talks to hire ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps for a front office role, according to Front Office Sports. A deal isn’t done yet, but it’s far enough along that both sides have declined to comment when asked. That usually means something is happening.
Bontemps has been covering the league for years and is a regular voice on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast. He’s not the first media member to make this jump. The trend of reporters crossing over to the executive side has been building for a while now. Bobby Marks did it years ago. John Hollinger took a front office job in Memphis. It’s become almost routine at this point.
The Hawks Keep Making Moves
Atlanta’s front office has been busy. They recently extended CJ McCollum’s contract and traded for Thunder wing Aaron Wiggins. They also gave head coach Quin Snyder a contract extension after the team’s strong finish last season. The Hawks took the Knicks further than anyone else in the playoffs, which counted for something even if it didn’t end in a championship.
General manager Onsi Saleh got his own extension too. The Hawks have been building around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and a young core that prized length and versatility. That philosophy paid off down the stretch when they climbed to a top-six seed.
Up next is the NBA Draft on Tuesday night, where Atlanta holds the No. 8 pick. The Hawks need to keep retooling, and adding a sharp basketball mind like Bontemps might help them evaluate talent and shape roster strategy.
Bontemps is well connected around the league. He knows the media landscape and how front offices think. If he makes the move, he’d bring a reporter’s perspective to a decision-making role. That doesn’t always work, but it’s worked for other guys who’ve tried it.
No official announcement yet. But the talks are real and the timeline is unclear. One thing’s for sure: the Hawks are trying to stay ahead of the curve, not just in the standings but in how they build the front office too.
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