Warriors Assistant GM Travis Schlenk Reportedly in Hawks GM Contract Talks

Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk reportedly "is Atlanta's choice to become new general manager and sides are entering into contract talks," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

The Hawks have been seeking a new general manager after Wes Wilcox resigned from the position in early May, transitioning into an advisory role.

Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer also resigned from his role as the team's president of basketball operations as the organization looked to restructure its front office after a first-round elimination from the Eastern Conference playoffs.

While the Hawks have shown tremendous consistency in the past decade, reaching the postseason 10 straight times, they haven't reached one NBA Finals and have been eliminated in the first round five times in that span.

If hired, Schlenk will enter the fray in an offseason that should have major ramifications for the organization's future. Star forward Paul Millsap is an unrestricted free agent, while Tim Hardaway Jr. will be a restricted free agent.

The Hawks could re-sign both, though that would potentially mean more of the same for Atlanta, which appears to be well behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference and looking up at the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. And with the Milwaukee Bucks likely to take another leap forward next season with all of their young talent, the Hawks could find themselves in the middle of the NBA's pack.

But moving on from either Millsap or Hardaway—or both—would signal a rebuild around young players such as Dennis Schroder, Taurean Prince and the team's 11 draft picks over the next three years. A pure rebuild will be difficult, however, given that veterans Dwight Howard and Kent Bazemore are on the books for the next two years (and Bazemore has a player option for the 2019-20 season as well).

Those two will combine to cost $40.4 million and $41.8 million over the next two seasons, per Spotrac.com, likely making them difficult to trade. So Schlenk may have to get creative if his plans are to rebuild from the ground up.

After 12 seasons in the Warriors' innovative front office, however, he should have a few tricks up his sleeves.