Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks reportedly to hire Travis Schlenk as GM

By Andrew Snyder

Jun 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; (left to right) Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler Atlanta Hawks owner Grant Hill, Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, and Atlanta Hawks ceo Steve Koonin are shown during a press conference at Philips Arena. The Atlanta Hawks officially announced today that it was purchased by an ownership group led by Tony Ressler. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; (left to right) Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler Atlanta Hawks owner Grant Hill, Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, and Atlanta Hawks ceo Steve Koonin are shown during a press conference at Philips Arena. The Atlanta Hawks officially announced today that it was purchased by an ownership group led by Tony Ressler. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to reports, the Atlanta Hawks have found their new general manager. Is it a good fit?

The Atlanta Hawks finally have a new decision-maker in their front office. How did we find out this information? It came in a Woj Bomb, of course. According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Hawks plan to hire Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk as their next general manager.

The report was later confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Of course, until contract talks have concluded, the move is not official. On the surface, this looks like an outstanding hire. Schlenk obviously comes from a great organization and brings several years of experience to the table.

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The Golden State Warriors have made the NBA Finals in three consecutive seasons, winning one championship (and possibly a second in a few weeks). Hawks fans are chomping at the bit to be able to boast similar accomplishments.

The Hawks had been searching for a new GM since Mike Budenholzer relinquished his duties as president of basketball operations and former GM Wes Wilcox transitioned to special adviser to ownership.

Schlenk isn’t a household name like some of the other candidates that were thrown around throughout this search. David Griffin, Joe Dumars, Chauncey Billups, and Brent Barry were reported as candidates at one time or another.

Schlenk has been with the Warriors for 12 years, five as assistant general manager. Overall, he has 16 years of experience in the NBA. The rest of his bio has been helpfully provided on Twitter by Hawks.com writer KL Chouinard.

In looking at his bio, it appears that Schlenk’s specialty is player development and scouting. The Hawks have always placed a huge emphasis on those two areas, so it is not surprising that Schlenk ended up being their man.

Will Schlenk want to re-sign Paul Millsap to a long-term deal? Does he want to rebuild? Will he trade Dwight Howard? These questions will all be answered this summer. One question is finally answered, several more remain. Don’t you love the offseason?

Next: Is signing Milos Teodosic realistic?

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available. For now, it seems that the Hawks have made an excellent hire.

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