5:01pm: The Hawks have issued a press release, confirming McMillan’s dismissal as well as Prunty’s promotion to interim head coach.
“I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks. He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said. “Decisions like these, especially in-season, are always extremely difficult, but we believe it’s in the best interest of our team to move forward with another voice leading the way.”
4:24pm: The Hawks have fired head coach Nate McMillan, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Atlanta is one of the league’s most disappointing teams. The Hawks currently rank eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-30 record.
Assistant Joe Prunty will be the interim coach, but the franchise is looking at some bigger names to become the permanent head coach, according to Wojnarowski.
Former Jazz coach Quin Snyder tops the list of candidates with Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson also on the Hawks’ radar (Twitter links). The team will conduct a wide-ranging search, which will begin immediately.
The Hawks have one of the league’s top point guards in Trae Young and made a blockbuster trade to acquire Dejounte Murray from San Antonio as his backcourt partner. Yet, they have floundered around the .500 mark for much of the season.
McMillan was named the club’s interim coach in March 2021 in place of Lloyd Pierce. Atlanta made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals, prompting the Hawks to remove the interim tag and give him a four-year contract in July 2021.
The Hawks finished the regular season at 43-39 and lost in the first round of the playoffs last spring. A report surfaced last month that stated McMillan was unlikely to remain the head coach beyond this season.
Young has had disagreements with McMillan, although their relationship has reportedly been smoother since an incident that was highly publicized in early December. McMillan had reportedly considered resigning this season, but team officials were able to talk him out of it.
Prunty was the Bucks’ interim head coach during the 2017/18 season and finished with a 21-16 record. Milwaukee lost to Boston in the opening round of the playoffs that season.
Prunty has been an assistant on eight NBA teams. He spent a season with Phoenix and wasn’t in the league for two years before joining the Atlanta staff prior to last season.
WoW… They chose Trey “NoD” Young over a helluva coach in NastyNate… Smh
I am zero fan of Trae, but calling Nate a helluva coach is delusional. Poor rotations, generic offensive schemes (on a roster filled with enough offensive talent), bad in-game decision making. Should’ve been let go coming into the season.
It’s not all his fault, of course—there are fit and effort issues up and down the roster—but he’s been mediocre at best for some time now.
He is an old school in ur face coach… Just like the way I was raised and parented isn’t the way I’m allowed to be towards my kiddos with this generation these days… With Dejounte and players of his makeup he can definitely get thru too and elevate their games, but silver spoon kids like Trey “NoD” given praise growing up, he didn’t stand a chance and was a poor fit I definitely agree to that… And yes he was never an offensive guru, that’s where his assistants on his staff needed to have his back, not stab em in the back like the opportunist Prunty is… He’s waccc… And Trey has a lower trade value then mainstream fans think…
“Dejounte and players of his makeup he can definitely get thru too” but he literally did not. That ECF was a fluke to everyone not delusional (which apparently is just you) and no one should have credited Nate with being a good coach then. Most people knew this was the end result of a long term commitment to Nate and, surprise surprise it’s what happened. He’s a regular season coach and not much of one regardless. Congrats on the ECF though, it must be nice to hang a banner for being lucky.
How is Prunty an opportunist when it was well known Nate was out at the end of the year?
Nate McMillan is a solid head coach. He’s not great or bad he’s good. The thing with Nate McMillan is he was a great defensive player when he played and he played with the best defensive Point Guard in the history of the game in Gary Payton. He wants his guards to play defense. Dejounte Murray plays really good defense and can guard multiple positions and he will still have a job if he was his Point Guard and they had another star player that is a two way player playing with him. That’s not the case they have Trae Young and he’s the worst defensive guard in the NBA. He don’t play absolutely no defense and is a major liability on the not so glamorous side of the ball.
The Atlanta Hawks will either have to trade Trae Young to a team with nothing but good to great defensive players in the starting lineup and I mean all four outside of him. The other option is they will have to put all four starters on the Atlanta Hawks on the court with him will have to play really good defense in order to have success with him.
Hawks fans that really know basketball have been wanting Trae gone for a while. Sadly, those fans are in the minority versus those that think the only way the Hawks will win is with Trae running the show.
Trae is a fantastic offensive playmaker and scorer, but his complete disregard for defense and moving off the ball on offense completely blows up any kind of offensive or defensive schemes.
Sixers should sign him as an assistant coach
He would be useful despite his recent struggles in Atlanta
Trae is the next Kylie …
More like that next Dannii, if you ask me.
There is only one Kylie.
Way past time, they tuned Nate out the last two years. It’s a shame because he’s a good coach. But the old saying, you can’t coach effort, applies here for sure.
Bro, he’s literally only been there 2 years though…
I guess your not counting the 20-21 season that he coached the bulk of, led them to a 70% win percentage, and the ECF? They responded when Pierce was fired, Trae got his way then just like now. I expect them to respond similarly so Trae can say “See, it’s the coach. Not me!”
Nate McMillan didn’t have a chance because him and the star player didn’t get along. Trae Young is either going to have to make some changes to his game or get traded. The next head coach got his hands full. I love me some Quin Snyder. The Atlanta Hawks got a lot of questions and not enough answers. His situation with the Utah Jazz was better than this Atlanta Hawks team. I would prefer to see Kenny Atkinson with this job. I think Kenny Atkinson can develop these guys and have them a solid team year in year out. I think Quin Snyder can go somewhere that have more championship admiration.
The Atlanta Hawks to me has always been that team that ceiling is the second round and very seldom will make the conference finals but not often.
I know that is what Quin Snyder resume with the Utah Jazz looks like but I think it could’ve been better but his two star players Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert didn’t get along.
I tell you this Donovan Mitchell been solid on the defensive end this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He didn’t play defense on the Utah Jazz but Trae Young plays absolutely no defense at all. I don’t want to see Quin Snyder have to deal with that.
I would like to see Quin Snyder get the Atlanta Hawks job if they decide to trade Trae Young this offseason.
No he’s not, he’s an adequate coach. No one should believe he’s a good coach.
It’s not all Nate fault, but the hawks have to keep Trae happy
Traede Young.
Murray is the PG to keep., should offered Trae for KD.
they talked him outta resigning only to fire him lmaooo wtf
cruel word lol
Maybe not. It’s likely he gets more money from being fired than from resigning. Not certain on the wording of his contract, but the Hawks probably did him a favor.
About time. Not that it’s probably going to matter much in the long run due to ownership meddling and nepotism
Sad. NM is a real basketball man. He’s forgotten more basketball than anyone else in that organization knows. But the PTB in that FO (the owner’s kid and Fields) set the table for this with their amateur behavior and narratives. He’s been so undermined at this point that he likely welcomes it.
Can’t wait to see what babysitter they hire.
It is normal for sport business, Dwane Casey was fired after won coach of the year award and the next coach replaced him took the Raptors all the way and won NBA championship.
Not really. In TOR, they replaced a babysitter with a real coach, who was on the staff and pretty much looked to by the players as the most central coach. Here, in ATL, its most likely they’ll replace a real coach with a babysitter.
In fairness, TOR won the trophy only after importing a first team All-NBA player. KL left after that 2019 season, and guess what? TOR’s results after 2019 were pretty fungible with those prior 2019.
Nate is a real coach by only the slimmest of margins, he’s respected but dear god you can do so much better.
If you’ve forgotten more basketball than everyone else knows, maybe you shouldn’t be an NBA coach. I get the saying and what it wants to say, but it’s really stupid to think that makes any sense. Maybe hire someone not willing to forget good basketball? As you and everyone knew at the time of their WCF run, it’s not Nate.
LOL. You obviously don’t get the saying if you believe there’s some implication that the person referred to is especially forgetful. Anyway, you’ve given no basis for your opinion of Nate as a HC generally or in this job. A HC is not a warrantor of results. He needs the backing of the organization, and time, to do his job at a high level. Nate never had that here.
Jason Terry is as ready as he’ll ever be.. link to m.youtube.com
I’d love to see ACC legend Sam Cassell come back down south as well. His toughness is a lil more of the contagious variety compared to coach Nate. Jet, Cassell, Jay Wright, Sampson & Snyder are a tight top5 that would be perfect for them to choose from
Nooooooo keep Sam in Philly to replace Doc ASAP
Jay Wright would work there as well
Mike D’Antoni Is the best fit.
‘Bout time!!!
As a matter of fact it’s too late, they should have done that back in November to try salvage the season!
Just glad I’m not a Hawks fan lol.
Can Tre Young be the best player on a championship team?
Hell no, lol.
Nate sucks as a head coach, but no I’m not sure Trae Young has what it takes to be a championship player as the best player.
Trae Young, 3 point sniper and coach killer.
3point sniper? His 3s this season only 32%.last season is his best,38%.
It was a joke, lol
Not the Eastern favorite Hawks! How could this be?!
What would be cool is if the Hawks got Ike Udoka as their new head coach. Was great with the Celtics in his 1 and only season. Jayson Tatum said he was his favourite coach hes ever had and he’s had some greats. Tatum under Udoka took a huge leap especially as a defender and a leader. Udoka would be a great head coach to have but the only risk would be has it been long enough since his unpleasant end in Boston. I know Brooklyn were really keen on him but ultimately went with Vaughan.
Doubt you could get him out of Magic City long enough to do much of anything if he landed in ATL
Didn’t know he was that big a fan of lemon pepper. Pegged him as a classic and blue cheese guy.
He said Ime was his favor Celtics coach, not favorite coach “ever”.
Thanks for the correction
gaga
Fire the coach first to appease the “Super Star”…then the ‘Super-Star’ player demands a trade after that when it still doesn’t work out…Rinse and Repeat.
Atlanta’s year has come and gone. They’re a decent team but not great. A new HC may help but won’t fix every problem.
“A new HC may help but won’t fix every problem” is literally how Nate was hired and stays employed
He will be coaching the Rockets next year. These players take advantage of Silas. McMillan is a no nonsense type of coach that will demand respect. No more KPJ outbursts or Jalen Green taking 30 shots a night when only 20% of them are going in
Hahahaha the Rockets hiring Nate would be hilarious. When has Nate ever developed talent to the highest levels over an extended period of time? Oh yeah… never hahahahaha but that would definitely be a hilariously Rockets thing to do
Some young players developed into All-Stars under McMillan. Sabonis in Indiana, Aldridge in Portland, Rashard Lewis in Seattle for example. He has never coached LeBron, KD, Curry, Jokic level talent, so of course he hasn’t developed talent to the HIGHEST level, but his track record with young players and developing teams is solid to good.
Look at the Rockets right now. Everybody is doing whatever they want and nobody develops (with Sengun as the only exception). I think a no nonsense coach like McMillan would be good for a couple of years. Just to teach those young guys some basics, some fundamentals.
Truth is Hawks are better than this. You can’t fire the players. Nate will be fine.
Someone said Nate to Rockets. I agree with that. They should go for him.
Don’t watch the Hawks to know what’s wrong. But they are heading in wrong direction.
The Rockets may hire Nate, but that makes no sense. Nate has never helped develop talent, he’s always just showed up to a bad situation and “turned it around” for such a short period of time it’s easy to forget what teams he coached. There’s something of a bad situation in Houston and while it’s tempting to take that chance, it’s wise to not really consider it either.
Fall guy.
It ain’t the coaches fault the front office overpaid Trae…
Even as much as I hate on Trae, his contract was a far better use of money than the contract given to Collins.