The Atlanta Hawks hired former Golden State Warriors general manager, Travis Schlenk, as ATL’s new general manager and head of basketball operations.
The Atlanta Hawks announced this past Thursday that Travis Schlenk — former assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors — has been named Atlanta’s newest general manager and head of basketball operations.
Schlenk, 41, comes to ATL amid a front office shakeup, which involved former Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox stepping down from his role as GM to become a special advisor to ownership. In addition, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer resigned from his role as president of basketball operations.
Per the Atlanta Hawks’ official media release:
"“After meeting with Travis, our search committee and I knew that he was the right choice to become the new general manager and head of basketball operations for the Atlanta Hawks. In addition to his significant experience with two organizations that have built championship cultures, he is ready to lead our basketball operations at a critical time for making big decisions as we prepare for the 2017-2018 season and beyond,” said principal owner Tony Ressler."
Schlenk spent roughly 12 years with the Warriors in various roles, serving the past five seasons as Golden State’s assistant GM under 2015 Executive of the Year Bob Myers. Atlanta is likely hoping Schlenk carries over some of the magic from the Warriors’ front office, which has solidified itself at the pinnacle of the NBA.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area, Schlenk chose to immediately resign from the Warriors so that he could begin his duties with the Hawks as soon as June 1. With All-Star forward Paul Millsap set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Schlenk must swiftly decide whether re-signing Millsap is in the team’s best interest.
Additionally, the Hawks have three draft picks in the 2017 NBA Draft: the 19th pick, the 31st pick, and the 60th pick. How the organization ends up approaching this year’s draft is completely determinant on whether the team wants to (or is able to) retain Millsap.
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Considering how well the Warriors have drafted players over the past few years, Hawks fans should be excited about the addition of Schlenk. Combining his inside knowledge of the Warriors framework with his expertise as an advanced scout, everyone should expect Schlenk to put the Hawks in the best position possible.