The Atlanta Hawks have lost several key players -- Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. -- in the last two years, and the team is clearly in a rebuilding program under new general manager Travis Schlenk.
"Investing in the future," Schlenk told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of his plan. "We are going to be young. We are going to be fun. We are going to develop our talent. We are going to maintain our flexibility."
Due to Schlenk's philosophy, there is a good chance Atlanta's veteran free agents Thabo Sefolosha, Kris Humphries and Ersan Ilyasova won't re-sign with the team.
The Hawks gained an asset -- Houston's 2018 first-round pick -- as part of the three-team trade with the Nuggets and Clippers, which sent Jamal Crawford and Diamond Stone to Atlanta. The Hawks quickly agreed to a buyout with Crawford, and Schlenk may continue to use his cap room, likely at least $18 million, to help facilitate trades that can bring back young players and future draft picks.
"That trade was to get the pick," Schlenk said. "It's kind of the same reason as the decision with Paul. ... We want to be young. We want to be fun. That’s the direction we are going with younger guys."
-- Nick Silva
