Nate McMillan fired by Atlanta Hawks with just 23 games remaining in 2022-23 NBA season

The Atlanta Hawks recently overhauled their front office, including some key departures.

It was logical that a change of coach would follow.

The team fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the decision was official.

Joe Prunty was elevated to interim coach.

Although there are only 23 games left for the Hawks, team management believes it is time to improve and move up the standings. Atlanta is 29-30 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. However, the Hawks are also just 3½ games behind the sixth-place New York Knicks.

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Why fire Nate McMillan now?

The Hawks simply haven’t made enough progress since reaching the conference finals in 2021. Atlanta lost in the first round of last season’s playoffs and is in danger of falling out of the play-ins again. McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce in 2021 and sparked a deep playoff run. The Hawks are hoping a coaching change can provide a spark for the remaining games.

New Hawks front office seeks new coach

In December, Travis Schlenk resigned as president of basketball operations and general manager Landry Fields began overseeing basketball operations. Kyle Korver, longtime NBA player and former Hawks All-Star, was elevated from director of business and player development to assistant general manager in January.

It makes sense that they want to make a mark on the team by selecting a coach who they believe can maximize the roster.

Landry and Korver place a high emphasis on player development and want a coach who has mastered that part of the job, but they also want a coach who can lead, build a culture, hold players accountable, including talented guard Trae Young, and communicate effectively.

Who are the candidates for the Hawks job?

The Hawks plan to be aggressive in their search, trying to get a head start before teams in need of a coach begin their season. Former Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who is not working this season, and former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, now a Golden State assistant, are former Hawks assistant coaches with strong experience in player development. Milwaukee assistant coach Charles Lee, a finalist for top coaching jobs last year, is also a former Hawks assistant under Mike Budenholzer, who is now Milwaukee’s coach.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Hawks fire Nate McMillan; Joe Prunty will be interim coach