Woj: Quin Snyder Likely Top Candidate for Hawks Job; Warriors' Kenny Atkinson Linked

The Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday and will enter a wide-ranging head coaching search, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is expected to be a top candidate for Atlanta's head coaching vacancy, Wojnarowski added. Other candidates are expected to include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.

The Hawks entered the 2022-23 season with high expectations after acquiring Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, but Atlanta has failed to live up to the hype, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-30 record.

McMillan had been head coach of the Hawks since the 2020-21 campaign, leading the franchise to a 99-80 record and two playoff appearances, including a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

However, Atlanta finished nine in the East last season before being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round, and the franchise is headed for a similar fate this season.

Snyder, who coached the Jazz from 2014 to 2022, was one of the most well-respected coaches in the NBA. He led Utah to a 372-264 record and six playoff appearances in his eight seasons before stepping down after last season.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported in June that Snyder "remains eager to coach," adding that he "felt that it was time for a change, both for himself and the Jazz."

That said, it's possible Snyder would be open to the Atlanta head coaching job as he served as an assistant for the franchise during the 2013-14 campaign.

Atkinson, meanwhile, has been an assistant for the Warriors over the last two seasons and also spent time as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020-21 after being fired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.

In his four seasons with the Nets, he coached the team to a 118-190 record and the franchise made the postseason just once in that span. Atkinson also served as an assistant in Atlanta from 2012 to 2016, so he has an obvious connection to the job.

Lee has spent the last five seasons as an assistant with the Bucks and is in his first season as assistant head coach. Before that, he served as an assistant coach with the Hawks from 2014 to 2018.

In addition to Snyder, Atkinson and Lee, The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported that Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson, Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and G League South Bay's Miles Simon are expected to be candidates for Atlanta's vacancy.