Hawks fire head coach Nate McMillan amid tumultuous season

After being led by head coach Nate McMillan for the last three seasons, the Atlanta Hawks are moving in a different direction.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the Hawks have fired McMillan. Assistant coach Joe Prunty is expected to be Atlanta’s interim coach, Wojnarowski adds.

McMillan, who was in his 19th season as an NBA head coach for his fourth different team, took over for the Hawks in the 2020-21 season. He led the Hawks to a conference finals berth that year (only their second in franchise history) but was less successful in the two seasons after. McMillan finishes his Hawks tenure with a record of 99-80 (.553), including going 43-39 last season and 29-30 this season.

What may have done McMillan in was his deteriorating relationship with Atlanta’s franchise player Trae Young. The two reportedly had a heated incident in December. There was even talk that McMillan was thinking about resigning from his post.

McMillan won’t have to worry about resigning now, though, since the Hawks have made the decision for him. He now becomes Atlanta’s second head coach firing in less than two calendar years (after predecessor Lloyd Pierce, who also had reported issues with Young).