The Atlanta Hawks made the decision to move on from head coach Nate McMillan after months of rumors and speculation. Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder has emerged as a legitimate possibility to take the job, and the Hawks are doing all of this while being right in the middle of a run for the Eastern Conference playoffs. On Friday, Hawks superstar Trae Young broke his silence on the firing of Nate McMillan and gave a lengthy comment on the situation:

“It was surprising to me at the time… We've talked since then and had conversations…I've got nothing but love and respect for Nate.”

The drama around McMillan and Trae Young had been circulating for some time. The two even ignited it earlier this season when the Hawks superstar left the arena in December, proceeding to sit out the game.

Young is putting all that aside for now and showing nothing but love for Nate McMillan. After McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce in March of 2021, the Hawks made a stunning run to the Eastern Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Then, in 2021-2022, the Hawks returned to the playoffs but lost in the first round.

Right now, Atlanta sits right below the .500 mark but is the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, so their playoff hopes are alive.

With all of the drama revolving around McMillan and Young over the past few months, the Hawks superstar decided to show nothing but love and appreciation for McMillan. After all, he engineered a long playoff run that saw them make the Eastern Conference Finals.