Hawks' McMillan, CEO Koonin refute reports about coach's resignation

The Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillian spoke to the media on Friday refuting prior reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic that he was considering resigning amidst a tumultuous season.

McMillan, who has coached the team since 2021, has been at the centre of a Hawks team in disarray. Atlanta (17-18), who came into this season with playoff aspirations, have gotten off to a rocky start and are currently the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.

“I read that article briefly,” McMillan said when asked about The Athletic's article. “I’ve never spoken to that reporter before. I think the last two weeks he’s written a couple of articles with some sources in our organization that are making some comments about me and some things that I’m saying and doing."

Though the third-year head coach didn't explicitly rule out the possibility of resigning at some point from his position, he made it clear that any decision he ends up making will occur at the end of this NBA season.

“Look, at the end of the year, I’ll do as I’ve always done. I’ll talk with my family and see if that flame, that fire, to continue next season, but that’s the end of the season," McMillan said. "All of us think about retiring, but that’s at the end of the season. We’re going to move past that, that story.”

The focus right now for the Hawks remains the team's playoff aspirations. Prior to this season, the Hawks made a trade for former San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray, giving up three future first-round picks and a pick swap.

Moving on the first-time all-star Murray was likely a signal that they didn't intend to repeat what had been a disappointing 2021-2022 season. However, there has only been a one-win improvement on where they stood at this point last season when they were 16-19.

“We have a race to prepare for,” McMillan said. “We’re trying to get our guys healthy and make a run, another run at the playoffs, but the things that were reported, look, I’m here to coach this year, and I’ve talked to (owner) Tony Ressler many times, and our goal is to make the playoffs. And that’s what I’m working towards.”

Additionally, Hawks management refuted the rumours. On Friday afternoon, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin appeared on Atlanta radio station 92.9 The Game, calling Charania's report "Trash journalism," according to Mike Conti.

“This is made up stuff. I’m literally calling Shams out. It is just hack journalism. Hack,” Koonin said on the Dukes and Bell show.

Star point guard Trae Young was the subject of recently circulated trade rumours, as rival executives believed that the All-NBA guard could be the next superstar to request a trade according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

This came after Young and McMillan were seen arguing on the sidelines during a shootaround. Young then missed the subsequent game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Dec. 2.

McMillan, 58, got the job in Atlanta in the middle of the 2021 season after Lloyd Pierce was fired and turned the team around almost instantly. He took over on Mar. 1, coached the Hawks to an eight-game win streak, and went 27-11 to close out the year. They then had a Cinderella run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The next season, the Hawks didn't meet expectations and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs after qualifying for the post-season through the play-in as the ninth seed.

These reports also surface in the midst of larger-scale change within the Hawks organization. Former President of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk, who brought in McMillan, stepped down from his position last week and was replaced by former Toronto Raptor Landry Fields.

According to Charania, three other front-office members within the Hawks were let go this past week: senior adviser Rod Higgins, director of pro scouting Stephen Giles and vice president of player personnel Derek Pierce.

Written with files from the Associated Press