Atlanta Hawks choose Travis Schlenk as general manager, per report

That escalated quickly.

The Atlanta Hawks reportedly zoomed Travis Schlenk into frontrunner status for the team’s open general manager position on Wednesday morning. Less than an hour later, a report emerged that Schlenk was Atlanta’s final choice for the position, pending the details of a contract.

Wojnarowski then had this to say about the status of the discussions:

Barring any unforeseen snags, a deal could be completed as soon Wednesday, league sources told The Vertical.

In addition, both Chris Vivlamore of the AJC and Zach Klein of WSB-TV have lent credence to the reporting.

Schlenk has operated under Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers in the recent past, serving as an assistant general manager for the past five seasons. In total, Schlenk has been a member of the Warriors’ front office for more than a decade.

Here is an additional portion of his bio, via Golden State’s official website:

With more than 16 years of experience in the NBA, Schlenk has held jobs at virtually every level of basketball operations, including positions in the video room, on the bench, scouting and in the front office.

Prior to being promoted to his current position, Schlenk spent the previous two seasons as the team’s director of player personnel. In that role he assisted in all player personnel matters, while also assisting with trade & free agent discussions, player contracts, salary cap analysis and adherence to Collective Bargaining Agreement rules and regulations.

Before joining the team’s front office, Schlenk spent five years as an assistant coach and video scout for the Warriors. His duties in that role included the preparation of scouting reports for the coaching staff and players, assisting on-court at practice sessions and working with players on individual skill development. Additionally, Schlenk has also assisted with the team’s advance scouting duties.

The Hawks add a respected name in the industry that comes from an organization with recent championship pedigree. From here, it will be (very) interesting to note any mandate that Schlenk will be given with regard to roster construction, especially in dealing with Paul Millsap’s contract negotiations.

It appears that the Atlanta Hawks have filled their GM opening and Travis Schlenk will need to hit the ground running in preparation for a pivotal offseason. Stay tuned.