Hawks GM Talks Offseason, Howard, Goals

The Hawks were the fifth-oldest team last season and getting younger was a clear goal of the front office entering the offseason. Another goal was managing the salary cap with an eye on maintaining future flexibility, as GM Travis Schlenk explains (h/t Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution).

“The reason why flexibility is so important to us [is] it allows us to go out and make deals like we did with the Jamal Crawford trade [which netted Hawks a top-three protected pick in the 2018 draft via Rockets] where we can get assets… as we invest in the future of this franchise,” Schlenk said.

“Now that we have a young core, we have nine draft picks in the next two years so there’s a high probability that we are going to be even a little bit younger next year. So we need to keep developing the young players that we have.”

The GM went on to discuss the Dwight Howard deal and the reason why Atlanta slid down 10 spots on draft night as part of the trade.

“When it got down (to it) with Charlotte, there [were] other players that were going to be in the deal that both teams decided wouldn’t be in there,” Schlenk said. “Obviously the 31st pick was important to them. Us, when we look at our roster moving forward, when you look at the nine draft picks we have in the next few years, it wasn’t as important to us to add that young player this year because we have so many opportunities in next year with the three first-round draft picks. … We would love to have the 31st pick, but to be able to get that financial flexibility for the future to make it worth it to slide down

“We did that trade for the financial flexibility, and we were able to use that flexibility this summer to acquire a draft pick in next year’s draft with the Clippers in the Jamal Crawford trade. It played out well for us.”

While the Hawks are expected to take a step back in the win column this season, don’t expect the team to tank like the Sixers did over the past several seasons. Schlenk reiterated that the front office’s expectation is for the team to be competitive.

“When you look at the guys we signed this year in free agency, those are guys that show up and play hard every night,” the GM added. “We are laying the foundation for the future of the Atlanta Hawks, and that is to play the right way, to play hard and to give it everything you’ve got every single night.”