Did Atlanta Hawks GM Travis Schlenk deserve any votes for EOTY?

Just a year out from the Atlanta Hawks almost making the NBA Finals there is talk that they need to overhaul their roster given they were knocked out in the first round. This early round exit, plus the season that was, means that the Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk did not get any votes for Executive of the Year.

It is not that Schlenk was inactive over the past year, he made a number of moves. He gave John Collins the bag over the offseason as well as giving Trae Young the maximum possible extension that he could. Schlenk also signed Kevin Huerter at the 11th hour to his rookie extension.

Schlenk also sent Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando to the Boston Celtics for Tristan Thompson who he then flipped for Delon Wright from the Sacramento Kings. This move made more sense after he traded Cam Reddish and Solomon Hill to the New York Knicks for Kevin Knox. This is when Wright was able to take control of the second unit, coming inot his own.

Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk did not deserve any votes.

Schlenk did nothing this season to move the needle for his franchise. He came out and talked about changes prior to the Cam Reddish trade, but that was the only move the Hawks made. Sometimes it is best as a general manager not to make a move but that was not the case this season for the Hawks.

Like a large portion of the fanbase, Schlenk believed the Hawks were good enough after last season’s Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the Hawks went backwards, having to go through the play-in tournament to get to the playoffs.

Schlenk has done a tremendous job with the Hawks since he has taken over. His job has not been easy, given he took over when the club was extremely weak. If the Hawks stop having injury issues which take away all of their wing depth for an extended period for two straight seasons we might see what this team can accomplish. Only then will he deserve votes in this award.