Quin Snyder, Hawks Agree to Reported 5-Year HC Contract After Nate McMillan Firing

The Atlanta Hawks have found their next head coach after firing Nate McMillan, as former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder was hired Sunday night.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the two sides agreed to a five-year deal. The deal includes the rest of the 2022-23 campaign, and Snyder could start coaching as soon as Tuesday's contest against the Washington Wizards.

Atlanta fired McMillan during the All-Star break and named Joe Prunty the interim coach. While it won both of its games since making the change, including via a Trae Young buzzer-beater in Sunday's victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the organization was clearly looking for some more stability ahead of a playoff push.

McMillan went 99-80 after taking over during the 2020-21 season and even reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year.

Yet Atlanta lost in the first round of the playoffs last season and was just 29-30 when it fired him this season. Even with the brief two-game winning streak, it is still in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and on pace to participate in the play-in tournament.

It is 3.5 games behind the sixth-seeded New York Knicks as it looks to climb out of the play-in tournament, and it will be up to Snyder to help the team do just that.

"The move to take over the Hawks immediately is rooted both in the desire to make an Eastern Conference playoff run and to give Snyder a chance to start implementing his program and standards and evaluating the franchise's players on the way into the offseason," Wojnarowski wrote.

Snyder was the head coach of the Jazz for eight seasons from 2014-15 until he resigned ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He went 372-264 and reached the playoffs in each of his last six seasons.

While Utah never advanced past the second round during his tenure, it was a consistent presence in the Western Conference picture with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert leading the way.

Notably, Wojnarowski reported Mitchell, who is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, advocated for Snyder during a conversation with Young after the Hawks and Cavaliers faced each other Friday.

The relationship with Young will be key for Snyder, especially after there were apparent issues between the guard and McMillan. Wojnarowski pointed out the head coach "has a history of constructing strong relationships with his players while still allowing himself the ability to coach them hard," which surely played a factor in Atlanta's decision.