ESPN's Tim Bontemps Reportedly in 'Advanced Talks' to Join Hawks' Front Office

The Atlanta Hawks reportedly are eyeing a veteran media member to join their front office.

Per Ryan Glasspiegel and Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, the Hawks are in "advance talks" with ESPN's Tim Bontemps about a front office position. Glasspiegel and Schiffer noted that a deal between the two has not yet been finalized.

Bontemps, a senior writer for ESPN, covered the Brooklyn Nets for the New York Post from 2007 to 2015 before joining the Washington Post as a national NBA writer in 2015.

He joined ESPN in 2018, initially covering the Eastern Conference, and he now "covers the NBA through a wide lens, focusing on team strategy, player movement and league trends that shape the sport's future," according to ESPN's website. Bontemps also appears on TV across ESPN's programming.

Bontemps wouldn't be the first media member to step into a front office role. The WNBA's Connecticut Sun hired ESPN's Kevin Pelton in March, while the Portland Fire hired Ben Pickman of The Athletic in February. Former ESPN editor Cristina Daglas joined the Washington Wizards and Mystics' front office last year.

According to Front Office Sports, Bontemps' role with the Hawks would be in basketball strategy.

The Hawks' front office is led by Onsi Saleh, who was promoted to general manager last year after Landry Fields' firing and was then promoted to president of basketball operations in May.

Atlanta has already had a busy offseason, trading for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins earlier this week.

The Hawks had a surprise turnaround last season and ended up reaching the playoffs. They took the eventual champion New York Knicks to six games, something no other team did during the postseason.

Atlanta is hoping to build off the momentum from last season, and it will look to a long-time insider to help with that goal.