Hawks And Nate McMillan Part Ways

The Atlanta Hawks dismissed Head Coach, Nate McMillan, Tuesday, as the Hawks begin their search for a new head coach. General Manager, Landry Fields, issued a press release thanking McMillan for his “leadership and professionalism,” but also added that the franchise’s best interest was to “move forward with another voice leading the way.”

McMillan’s dismissal should come with little surprise to Hawks fans, especially during the midst of a tumultuous season for Atlanta. McMillan finishes his Hawks’ tenure with a 99-80 record overall. McMillan was retained by Atlanta’s previous front office regime, led by Travis Schlenk, following their remarkable run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020. That run now looks more like an aberration, and excluding that portion of his tenure, McMillan’s cumulative record for the 2022 season and this season was 72-69, just above the .500 mark. For a team that still has most of its core from that ECF appearance and an All-Star caliber backcourt, hovering around .500 was not good enough for the front office.

Per multiple sources, the Hawks have interest in several coaching candidates already. It would be no surprise if a new coach was hired before the Hawks’ first game back from the All-Star break. The potential quick turnaround could help build a bit of continuity heading into the offseason and help the Hawks’ current playoff push. Coaches on the list include: former-Utah Jazz head coach, Quin Snyder, longtime assistant, Charles Lee, and former-Hawks assistant (now current-Golden State Warriors assistant), Kenny Atkinson.

In the interim, the Hawks will roll with assistant head coach, Joe Prunty. What the Hawks do between now and Friday, and now and the end of the season, is a mystery, but the team needs to get this next coaching hire right. Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, the writing was on the wall for McMillan and the lame-duck coaching period is over with.

Do you agree with the Hawks’ move to dismiss Nate McMillan midseason? Who do you think the Hawks should take a look out? Let us know in the comment section below.