Hawks HC Quin Snyder 'Emphatically Denies' Having 'Ultimate Control over the Roster'

As the Atlanta Hawks prepare for the 2023 offseason, there appear to be some questions as to who exactly will be making the decisions for the franchise.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Schultz, it was "widely believed" that head coach Quin Snyder wouldn't have accepted his position with Atlanta if he didn't have "ultimate control over the roster." However, Snyder "emphatically denies" that notion, deferring to general manager Landry Fields and assistant GM Kyle Korver.

"The only role Landry and Kyle and I talked about when I agreed to come to Atlanta is me coaching the team," Snyder said. "That's what I like and it's also what I'm passionate about. Any speculation about me having a more significant role than providing input on personnel decisions is just not accurate. I have total confidence in Landry and his group to make those decisions. As I see it, my job is to maximize the potential of the personnel, whatever the personnel is. That's where my focus lies. That speculation is erroneous."

Snyder was hired by Atlanta on Feb. 26 to replace Nate McMillan, who was fired during the All-Star break on Feb. 21 while the team had a record of 29-30. Under Snyder's guidance, the Hawks finished with a 41-41 record and won their play-in tournament game to make their third straight playoff appearance, but they fell in the first round to the Boston Celtics. They will have the No. 15 pick in Thursday's NBA draft.

Schultz noted that the 34-year-old Fields is "young and operating without the guidance of former executive Travis Schlenk for the first time." Despite Snyder's denial, Schultz pointed out that his "resume and stature and job security" likely places him "effectively above Fields and answers only to" Hawks governor Tony Ressler. However, Snyder maintained his stance.

"That's just a clever way of saying I have control even though I'm telling you I don't," Snyder said. "It's a way of saying I'm going to exert influence and that's not true. That's not healthy. It's not the partnership I wanted."

The decisions made this offseason will be crucial toward the Hawks' future. The franchise has to figure out how to build around star point guard Trae Young, who reportedly expressed some unhappiness with the team last season. Schultz also noted that Atlanta has multiple trade candidates on the roster, including John Collins, Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela.

The Hawks have yet to duplicate the postseason success of two years ago when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but the franchise is surely hoping Snyder and Fields can construct a team worthy of title contention next season.