Hawks hiring one-time All-Star guard Nick Van Exel as assistant coach

The Hawks are hiring former NBA guard Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As Wojnarowski notes, Van Exel will replace Marlon Garnett, who recently left to become an assistant with the Hornets. Van Exel confirmed the news of him joining Atlanta with Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com.

Van Exel served as a player-development instructor with the Hawks from 2010-12 and most recently worked for the Mavericks as a scout. Van Exel played 13 NBA seasons (including an All-Star campaign in 1997-98), making stops with the Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Blazers and Spurs. In addition to his past NBA jobs with Atlanta and Dallas, he also served as an assistant with the Bucks in 2013-14 and assistant with the Grizzlies from 2016-19.

Atlanta finished with the fifth-best record in the East at 41-31 last season, reaching the Conference Finals for the first time since 2014-15. The team is set to enter next season with its core rotation from last year under contract.