The Hawks are engaged in "serious talks" with Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer about becoming Atlanta's new head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). ESPN.com's Chris Broussard had reported last week that many league insiders viewed Budenholzer as the frontrunner for the Hawks' coaching opening.
While the Spurs remain active in the postseason, having swept the Grizzlies to earn a spot in the NBA Finals, they'll have nine days off before their next series gets underway. As such, the team is allowing its longtime assistant coach to negotiate with the Hawks during that period, assuming Budenholzer is Atlanta's choice for its head coach, writes TNT's David Aldridge.
Budenholzer, who worked with Atlanta GM Danny Ferry back when Ferry was a member of the Spurs' front office, also interviewed for the Pistons and 76ers for their coaching openings, as Aldridge notes. If he were to land the Hawks' job, Budenholzer would be replacing Larry Drew, who technically remains under contract in Atlanta, but is exploring other options — Drew will have a second interview the Bucks tomorrow.