The Atlanta Hawks have overachieved this season, thanks in large part to the coaching and leadership of Nate McMillan, who took over for Lloyd Pierce after he was fired back in February.
Since the coaching change, Atlanta went from being a bottom-feeder to a playoff lock in the East, and are now competing against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Semis.
But apparently, coach McMillan (who still hasn’t taken a permanent role in the organization) might be one-and-done in the ATL. According to sources, he is a dark horse candidate to replace Brad Stevens in Boston.
Team personnel contacted by B/R maintain that hiring a Black candidate is another top priority for the Celtics. If Boston can also land someone who has previous head coaching experience, that person would further meet the Celtics’ criteria, sources said.
With that, Nate McMillan is an under-the-radar contender to become Boston’s 18th head coach in franchise history. All indications are that Atlanta will remove the interim tag from McMillan’s title and offer an extension, sources said. Yet until that deal is agreed upon, there remains a potential for McMillan to benefit from his successful stint guiding the Hawks through this postseason and test the market elsewhere.
After a personnel mixup in Boston, their head coaching vacancy stands as one of the most attractive in the league.
Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown make up a solid young core that will keep the franchise in contention for years to come.
With their future at stake, the Celtics can not afford to bring in the wrong guy. Whether or not that is McMillan remains to be seen, but expect them to everything into consideration as they make their decision.
