Atlanta Hawks dismiss head coach Nate McMillan

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Atlanta Hawks have fired head coach Nate McMillan.

The Hawks are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-30 record. They would play the Washington Wizards in the play-in game in the NBA playoffs.

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

The team largely stood pat at the NBA trade deadline, failing to move forward John Collins. The team traded for Saadiq Bey and several draft picks in a four-team trade.

In three seasons at the Hawks’ helm, McMillan went 99-80 and led the Hawks to an Eastern Conference finals appearance in the 2020-21 season. He has a 760-668 record in 19 seasons as a head coach, including time with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers.

Assistant coach Joe Prunty is expected to become the interim head coach.

Prunty was the interim coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2017-18 season after the Bucks fired Jason Kidd. He went 21-16 in the regular season before losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

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