Atlanta Hawks: Why Travis Schlenk should win Executive of the Year

The Atlanta Hawks have had a season to remember, whilst also suffering through an incredible amount of injuries. While there is a little light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the injuries, the success of the team this season can be attributed to the great work of the front office.

It started last season when the Hawks pulled off an incredible trade which landed the franchise Clint Capela in exchange for Evan Turner, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick which belonged to the Golden State Warriors. To say the Hawks won this trade is an understatement.

What this trade did was it allowed the Hawks CEO Travis Schlenk another building block to work around. He had Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, and Cam Reddish in place, but what he then did over the offseason was give the Hawks a full roster to work with.

The Atlanta Hawks benefitted from an unheralded offseason move.

What Schlenk did in the offseason spoke of future planning. There were rumors around that they were looking to move on from Lloyd Pierce but the break between seasons was too short. The Indiana Pacers had moved on from Nate McMillan, and the Hawks signed him to be an assistant to Pierce.

However, just before the All-Star break, the Hawks fired Pierce and installed McMillan which was an incredible move. The Hawks went on an eight-game win streak and McMillan was named coach of the month for March. Despite still battling injury issues the Hawks are sitting in fifth and here is how Schlenk helped this happen due to the offseason moves.