Washington Wizards vice president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard and Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk have emerged as the new names of note in the Atlanta Hawks' front-office search, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN that the Hawks have conducted interviews with both Sheppard and Schlenk this week and continue to have interest in ESPN television analyst Chauncey Billups as well as Boston Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren as they search for a new lead voice for basketball operations.
Sheppard has spent the past 14 seasons with Washington alongside longtime Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld. Schlenk is an integral member of the Warriors' front office who has assembled the most successful three-season run, in terms of regular-season wins, in league history, with 207.
ESPN previously reported that the Hawks have also shown interest in Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, former Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver.
The Vertical reported Friday that the Hawks have been denied permission to speak with Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
Other candidates who have received permission to speak with the Hawks, according to The Vertical, include Houston Rockets vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and New York Knicks director of player personnel Mark Hughes.
After its first-round playoff exit, Atlanta shifted coach/team president Mike Budenholzer to a strictly coaching role and reassigned Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox as a special advisor to ownership, creating an opening for a new lead front-office voice.
The Hawks are entering a pivotal offseason, with All-Star forward Paul Millsap poised to become an unrestricted free agent.