The Atlanta Hawks have named former NBA player Danny Ferry their new president of basketball operations and general manager according to a press release on NBA.com.

For the past two years Ferry has served as the vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs. Prior to his stint in San Antonio, Ferry served as the general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2010.

“Over the past nine years Danny Ferry has earned tremendous respect as a front office executive in the NBA,” said Atlanta Hawks partner, Bruce Levenson. “His philosophy, character, and commitment to creating enduring and successful organizations exemplify exactly what we are looking for in a leader of the Atlanta Hawks. Danny’s systematic and value driven approach has helped him become one of the preeminent minds in basketball. He is passionate about building an organization the right way, knows how to win and knows how to forge winning teams. We look forward to having him as our leader of basketball operations.”

In Cleveland Ferry was very active in his role as general manager trying to surround then Cavalier LeBron James with a title worthy supporting cast. Some of Ferry’s notable transactions with the Cavaliers include trading for All-Star talents such as Mo Williams, Shaquille O’Neal, Antawn Jamison and Ben Wallace.

Ferry drew criticism for signing shooting guard Larry Hughes to a lucrative deal in 2005 which never panned out as expected.

For a complete listing of Ferry’s moves as a general manager, follow this link courtesy of Hoops Hype.

“My family and I are thrilled to join the Hawks organization and Atlanta community,” Ferry said in the press release. “There were many components that made this the right fit for me but clearly my confidence in the ownership group and their dedication to building a Championship caliber franchise was most important. They are committed to building with the right people and investing in critical areas for development; both essential elements if we want to create sustained success. “

The Hawks have reached the playoffs for five consecutive seasons but haven’t been able to advance past the second round. Ferry will have a busy summer starting with the annual draft being held on Thursday June 28. There also will be the task of reloading the Hawks’ roster as the team only has six players signed for 2013 but are sitting with $61 million on the books.   If the Hawks stay consistent with their philosophy of avoiding the luxury tax, Ferry will have to fill between six to nine roster spots with less than $9 million barring any trades.

Rick Sund, the team’s previous executive vice president and general manager, is expected to stay on with the club in a consulting role.

More to come. Stay tuned.