Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk moves to advisory role with team

Travis Schlenk, the Atlanta Hawks president of basketball operations, is moving into a senior advisory role with the team, the team announced Wednesday. The team is set to promote current general manager Landry Fields to Schlenk's old post. 

Schlenk has been Atlanta's president for the past six seasons, and has led the Hawks in acquiring significant talent, most notably Trae Young in a draft night trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Young. Schlenk was also behind the trade that brought All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta this past offseason to pair with Young in the backcourt. 

"Throughout this season, (Hawks owner Tony Ressler) and I have had multiple, honest conversations about some of the personal things I've been going through and how I've been feeling, and I appreciate the counsel he has provided me as well as the opportunity he gave me six seasons ago to be a first-time general manager, Schlenk told ESPN in a statement. 

"As we enter a new year, the timing feels right for me to take a step back, reflect and prioritize my family."

Schlenk helped build an Atlanta roster that made it to the Eastern Conference finals just two seasons ago. While last season didn't go as the Hawks expected, finishing eighth in the East and losing in the first round of the playoffs, Schlenk and Atlanta remained aggressive in acquiring talent to surround Young with in order to compete in the playoffs. That's where Murray comes in, and although Atlanta is still performing below expectations, sitting at 16-15 in the No. 7 spot in the East, the Hawks have the talent to make some noise in the East. 

It's unclear what the nature of Schlenk's advisory role will be, but ESPN reports that he will still work closely with team owner Tony Ressler as he still has several years remaining on his contract. 

Filling Schlenk's role will be Fields, who the team brought on in 2020 as an assistant general manager. Fields was then promoted to general manager in 2022, working closely with Schlenk in roster construction. Prior to joining Atlanta's front office, Fields worked with the San Antonio Spurs for four years, where he was the general manager of the team's G League affiliate after spending three seasons as a college scout.

Despite the shuffle in the front office, Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Hawks will remain "engaged" in trade talks surrounding John Collins. The Hawks forward has been at the center of trade speculation for the past few seasons, and signed a five-year, $125 million contract with Atlanta prior to the start of last season.