The Atlanta Hawks have begun formal discussions with former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder to make him their next head coach, The Athletic reported Thursday.
The Hawks fired Nate McMillan on Tuesday. Joe Prunty was installed as the interim head coach.
The Hawks held a virtual meeting Wednesday with Snyder, who is out of the country, per the report. They’re working on arrangements to bring Snyder in for an in-person interview soon.
During a virtual interview with reporters, also Wednesday, Hawks general manager Landry Fields mentioned Snyder by name, acknowledging other candidates as well.
“I feel comfortable mentioning his name, but there are other candidates I don’t want to mention because they are a part of other teams,” Fields said.
Other candidates for the job reportedly include Golden State assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, Milwaukee assistant Charles Lee, Sacramento assistant Jordi Fernandez, San Antonio assistant Mitch Johnson and G League coach Miles Simon.
In addition, The Stein Line reported Wednesday night that former Boston head coach Ime Udoka is also a candidate.
Snyder, 56, finished 372-264 in eight seasons leading the Jazz from 2014-22. Snyder walked away from the Jazz in June with the second-most wins in franchise history (Jerry Sloan 1,127). He led the Jazz to the playoffs in his final six seasons, finishing with a 21-30 postseason mark.
Snyder also was the head coach at Missouri, going 126-91 in seven seasons, leading the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament four times.
McMillan, 58, had been the Hawks’ coach since taking over after Lloyd Pierce’s firing during the 2020-21 season. He led fifth-seeded Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals that season and was given a four-year contract.
McMillan posted a 99-80 record as Atlanta’s head coach over parts of three seasons. He owns a 760-668 mark as coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (2000-05), Portland Trail Blazers (2005-12), Indiana Pacers (2016-20) and Hawks.
–Field Level Media