ATLANTA — Stan Kasten left his job Monday as president of Atlanta's Braves, Hawks and Thrashers amid the decision by corporate owner Time Warner to sell the teams.
Kasten said he might offer to return to management of the Hawks and Thrashers once a pending deal was approved. He said he decided to leave now because of major changes going on within the teams' organizations, including likely payroll cuts by the Braves.
"It was the whole package of things all at once. I just felt this was a real convenient time for me to make this move," he said.
A group led by Boston businessman Steve Belkin reached a deal in September to purchase the Hawks, Thrashers and Philips Arena for $250 million. The deal is expected to be approved within the next month.
Meanwhile, the sale of the Braves has been put on the backburner by Time Warner.
Belkin said he welcomed Kasten's availability.
"Clearly he would be a serious candidate because of his experience and knowledge. This frees us up to at least talk about it," Belkin said Monday.
Kasten, 51, was perhaps the most powerful figure in Atlanta sports, the man who oversaw three of the city's four major sports teams.
It all grew out of a chance meeting with former Braves owner Ted Turner at a baseball game in St. Louis in 1976.
Shortly after his graduation from law school, Kasten was appointed legal counsel of the Braves and Hawks. One year later, he was named assistant general manager of the Hawks.
In 1979, Kasten became the youngest general manager in NBA history at 27.
Additional duties came in 1986 when Turner named Kasten as president of the Braves and Hawks.
Kasten surrendered the GM position with the Hawks in 1990, hiring Pete Babcock. But he became involved with the company's third sports team in 1999, taking over as president of the Thrashers when Harvey Schiller left.
By that time, Turner was losing his grip on the teams. His role lessened when TBS merged with Time Warner, and he was forced out altogether after a merger with AOL.
Seeking to reduce its huge debt, the media conglomerate decided to unload its Atlanta teams, putting Kasten's future in doubt.
During Kasten's reign, Atlanta's teams had mixed success. The Braves have won an unprecedented 12 straight division titles, but the Hawks have missed the playoffs four seasons in a row. The Thrashers, in their fifth year of existence, have yet to make the postseason.