The Atlanta Hawks found a diamond-in-the-rough when they traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, who has become one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. The Hawks doubled down on their defensive versatility this offseason by signing Nickel Alexander-Walker to a deal that would earn him $15,161,800 this year.Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh has expressed confidence in Daniels and Alexander-Walker's fit with the Hawks as he expects them to provide trouble for opposing squads' perimeter players. "I just think that's going to be hell for some teams," Saleh said during the team's media day on Saturday. The Hawks signed Alexander-Walker following his impressive playoff run last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the playoffs, the 27-year-old guard became one of the team's most reliable 3-and-D player, averaging 8.3 points on 35% shooting from the three-point line. His addition reinforced the team's defensive identity, as Daniels rose to become one of the contenders for the Defensive Player of the Year award last season, tallying a league-leading 3.0 steals per game. The pair's integration into the squad comes as the Hawks improved their defensive standing outside of Trae Young. During the offseason, Atlanta also added former NBA champion Kristaps Porzingis and Georges Niang to their roster. The Hawks finished last year in the eighth spot of the regular season standings, but lost to the Miami Heat in the play-in round. Hawks GM reveals why Nickeil Alexander-Walker came to Atlanta after Timberwolves stintAccording to Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, Nickeil Alexander-Walker joined the Hawks to develop his game and explore more about how he can contribute to a team. "A big reason Nickeil (Alexander-Walker)came here was the development component. He wanted to get better," he said. Saleh added that Alexander-Walker's archetype is among what they targeted to bring for the Hawks this season. "The archetypes we were looking for, we were able to get this summer," he said. The Hawks are expected to be one of the dark-horse contenders from the Eastern Conference this season. They will open their regular season campaign on Oct. 22 against the Toronto Raptors.