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Atlanta Hawks General Manager Hints at Trades

Travis Schlenk voiced his frustrations with the team.

Pat Benson

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Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk was not in a good mood this morning. During his interview on 92.9 FM The Game, Schlenk scorched the earth. Apparently, fans are not the only ones unhappy with the first half of the Hawks season.

Schlenk said bluntly, "It's a hard pill to swallow when you're team isn't playing as well as you think it should. Maybe I should lower my expectations for this team." He's not wrong. Last year, the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. This season, they are flirting with the Draft Lottery.

The Hawks porous defense is near the bottom of the league, and that's clearly wearing on their GM. "There's no sense of urgency to make a stop. There's no sense of accountability that 'I'm going to stop my guy.' It's just not there... it doesn't bother them. I hope it's a switch we can flip, but I don't know at this point."

Schlenk wasn't even close to being done venting. "It's just frustrating because we've seen this group have success. And, to see the group not make the necessary effort plays to win an NBA game, it's just become frustrating."

"We have a few weeks before the trade deadline here, and this is what I need to figure out. It's my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win, and right now, I'm not sure I have done that," said Schlenk.

It's safe to assume some trades involving the Hawks are happening in the near future. I agree with Schlenk and the fans' frustration. This team isn't getting it done, and they are squandering some historic performances from Trae Young. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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