Many people around the NBA expect some sizable moves soon for the Atlanta Hawks. New people will lead that charge as former general manager and President of Basketball Operations, Travis Schlenk, was moved into a senior advisory role with the team.
Landry Fields, the current general manager, will take on a bigger role within the front office. The first order of business for Fields will reportedly be finding a trade that is centered around John Collins.
Collins is in the second year of a massive five-year, $125 million contract, which will create some obstacles for the Hawks regarding trading him. Teams aren’t lining up for a player with a contract of that size who also happens to be in the middle of the worst statistical season of his career. Good luck selling that without attaching assets along with him.
Whatever the Hawks can do with Collins, it is clear that this is an organization that needed some changes to be made. There are strained relationships within the organization, which is partly why Schlenk was relocated within the franchise, according to an NBA scout that spoke to NBA Analysis Network.
“The Hawks essentially moved on from Travis Schlenk. The writing on the wall was there with that one. From what you hear about the Hawks, he didn’t have strong relationships with players — there was more of a disconnect between the front office in that regard.”
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However, the organization has potentially bigger problems on the court. Earlier this season, All-Star point guard Trae Young and Nate McMillan had what they labeled as a miscommunication that resulted in Young not playing in a game against the Denver Nuggets.
It would seem that their issues run deeper than that, as there is tension between the two, not unlike what Young felt with Lloyd Pierce, the head coach McMillan took over for. A report surfaced that Young could be the next young star to request a trade should things not turn around for the Hawks this season.
However, the scout that provided the insight on Schlenk doesn’t foresee that happening. If anyone is going to be on the move, in their opinion, it is McMillan.
“Landry Field is described as being more aligned with Trae Young — making it seem likely that the next natural progression would be to make a coaching change if things don’t turn around. … I view that as being far more likely to happen than trading the All-Star.”
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There have been plenty of power struggles throughout the NBA between head coaches and star players. That is rarely a battle that the head coach will win, as in almost every case, ownership would prefer to find a new head coach instead of trying to develop and find a new star player to build around.
McMillan and the Hawks are a victim of their success. They haven’t come close to replicating the run that they went on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, which is part of the reason that tensions are running high within the organization.
