On Friday afternoon, a report came out from NBA insider Shams Charania stating that Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan has strongly considered resigning from his job amid the team's rough campaign and the uneasy relationship with franchise star Trae Young. Well, it didn't take long for someone from the front office to respond. CEO Steve Koonin hopped on a local Atlanta radio show shortly after Shams released the story and put him on blast.
Via Mike Conti:
“Hawks CEO Steve Koonin on Dukes and Bell 929 this afternoon called this story “trash journalism… This is made-up stuff. I am literally calling Shams out. It is just hack journalism. Hack.”
That's a big yikes. Koonin insists there is no truth to the report and that McMillan has never even thought of quitting. But, it certainly hasn't been smooth sailing in 2022-23 for this group. The Hawks currently sit at 17-18 through 35 contests and while injuries are playing a part, Atlanta just isn't able to find any consistency, shooting the ball at an atrocious clip.
Both Trae and McMillan downplayed their reported dust-up earlier in the month and said it's a private matter that needs to stay behind closed doors. Although Koonin does call this story “trash journalism”, there is not a chance everything is Hunky-dory. Bringing in Dejounte Murray to pair with Young in the Hawks backcourt was supposed to propel Atlanta to one of the better teams in the East. Needless to say, that's not the case at the moment. Frustration is building.
For what it's worth, this isn't the first time Shams has faced backlash for a report. In May of last year, Jimmy Butler's agent also eviscerated the Athletic writer after he said there had been “testy moments” between Jimmy Buckets and the Miami Heat coaching staff.
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