Travis Schlenk shares story from moments before Warriors drafted Steph Curry

Share

The Atlanta Hawks hired Travis Schlenk as general manager in late May 2017.

Prior to that, he was with Golden State for 13 seasons, including the last five as assistant GM.

So yes, Schlenk was with the franchise when the Warriors selected Steph Curry seventh overall in 2009.

[LISTEN: Warriors Outsiders Podcast: The best quote from Jacob Evans' press conference]

On Monday evening, he shared the following story on KNBR 680:

"We were getting ready to make the (pick) and Steph's reps really wanted him to go to New York, who was right behind us at eight. And I remember getting a text from somebody in his agency saying, 'Please don't take Steph.'

"And I just texted back to him, I said 'Sorry, that's who we're taking.' 

"We knew we were getting a great kid from a great family and we knew we were getting a great shooter. The knocks on Steph were is he gonna be able to guard, is he a point guard, is he gonna be strong enough, is he gonna be able to handle the physicalness of the NBA?

"Obviously, he's proven that it's been pretty easy for him."

Last Thursday, Schlenk selected Trae Young with the fifth overall pick.

The Oklahoma product has drawn comparisons to Curry, and Schlenk offered some high praise for the soon-to-be rookie.

"Obviously, Steph's gonna go down as one of the greatest shooters in the league so I don't want to put that sort of pressure on Trae as a shooter," Schlenk said. "But I do think that Trae is ahead of him from a playmaker standpoint from where they are at this stage of their careers."

No pressure, Trae!

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

Contact Us