NBA Rumors: Hawks, Quin Snyder 'Progressing' on HC Contract; Decision 'Within Days'

The Atlanta Hawks and Quin Snyder "are progressing in talks" on a potential agreement to make him the team's new head coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski reported Snyder "is full focus of Hawks' search now" and that a resolution could arrive "within days."

"Snyder has been engaged with general manager Landry Fields, assistant GM Kyle Korver and owner Tony Ressler on a wide-range of philosophical and team building items in recent days and those conversations are expected to continue through the start of the weekend, sources said."

Shams Charania later reported the Hawks had offered Snyder a contract in the range of $8 million per year:

Atlanta is moving quickly with its search. The organization announced only Tuesday it had fired Nate McMillan.

The Hawks can't afford to drag their feet too much considering they're 3.5 games back of the sixth-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.

Wojnarowski reported how the timing of Snyder's hiring would allow him "to start evaluating the team's personnel and collaborating on the baseline of a reshaped culture and program."

Fields laid out what the organization sought from McMillan's eventual successor.

"Development is huge on our priority list, as well as our character of coaches and accountability with players, and needing to get our offense and defense in the top 10," he said, per The Athletic's Jeff Schultz. "That's the only way I see us progressing on the basketball court."

That's a pretty high bar considering there aren't a lot of coaches who can simultaneously develop younger players while delivering a winner on the court. But Snyder checked both of those boxes during his time with the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz had a .585 winning percentage and saw the pair of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell grow into franchise cornerstones during Snyder's eight years in charge.

Rather than Atlanta wanting to hire the 56-year-old, the bigger question seemed to be whether he'd want the opportunity or wait for something better to come along.

Reaching the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals might have been a curse rather than a blessing for the Hawks. Their success that postseason raised expectations to an unreasonable level and left the front office to double down on a roster that simply isn't good enough to win a championship right now.

It's a little unclear how far Atlanta can go with Trae Young as the lead guy, too. He's a poor defender, which presents strategic challenges that grow in difficulty in the postseason. The star guard has also clashed with as many head coaches as he has All-Star appearances (two).

Atlanta fired Lloyd Pierce in March 2021 in part because his relationship with Young broke down, and then the same thing happened with McMillan before he was let go.

The dynamic between Snyder and Young would be fascinating to watch, because how they work together will go a long way toward determining the Hawks' success now and their long-term trajectory.

Assuming this hiring goes through, it represents a bit of a coup for Atlanta, yet some might remain skeptical because of larger issues within the organization.