His relationship with the General Manager Travis Schlenk dates back to their Warriors days
Pierce made a positive impression during his only season with Golden State. He earned the respect of star guard Stephen Curry, who congratulated Pierce when he was hired by the Hawks. Pierce helped develop Curry and other young players on the Golden State roster. He was also responsible for crafting the team’s pre-draft workouts that season. Those workouts culminated with the Warriors drafting sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
Schlenk got to see Pierce’s work up close while he worked in Golden State’s front office. The two men bonded during that time, but it was during his interview for the Hawks job where Schlenk knew he had his man.
“When we were meeting with Lloyd in the luxurious Philadelphia Airport Marriott, about halfway through the process I just wrote on a little piece of paper and slid it over to (Hawks Assistant GM Jeff Peterson),” Schlenk said in the introductory press conference. “I said, ‘I told you we’d know.’ We both knew.”
