Hawks fire coach McMillan

The Atlanta Hawks dismissed head coach Nate McMillan, the team announced Tuesday.

Assistant coach Joe Prunty will replace McMillan on an interim basis.

Atlanta will commence a search for a new full-time head coach immediately, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The team's brass is reportedly prioritizing a bench boss who excels in player development and accountability, as well as one who can improve the Hawks into a top-10 team both offensively and defensively.

"I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks," general manager Landry Fields said in a statement. "He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day.

"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."

Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is expected to be among the top candidates in Atlanta's search, sources told Wojnarowski. Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee is reportedly expected to be another candidate, as is Golden State Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson.

McMillan replaced former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce in March 2021 and took the club to the Eastern Conference finals in the postseason. However, he failed to match that progress in 2021-22; Atlanta went 43-39 and lasted just five games against the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.

The 58-year-old McMillan went a combined 99-80 across three seasons in Atlanta.

In December, McMillan dismissed a report from The Athletic that said he was contemplating stepping down from his post, stating then that he would only decide on his future after the season. That followed reports from weeks earlier suggesting McMillan had clashed with Hawks star Trae Young.

The Hawks are in eighth place in the East and on pace to compete in the play-in tournament. However, the team has dropped eight of its last 13, and hasn't been inside the conference's top six since early December.