The 2017-18 season was the first for the Atlanta Hawks under new front office leadership after the ownership decision to return Mike Budenholzer solely to coaching duties and bring in a new GM, Travis Schlenk. The tone from the organization prior to last season was quite different from what it is now.
Sure, the Hawks had moved on from their best player, Paul Millsap. But there was no discussion about “focusing on the young players.” In fact, in what was likely an objective to placate Budenholzer to some degree, Schlenk added and brought back a handful of veteran players that did not require contracts beyond the 2017-18 season.