Quin Snyder Signs Five Year Deal to Become Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks

• Quin Snyder signed a long-term deal to become the next coach of the Atlanta Hawks
• He previously coached the Utah Jazz, leading the franchise to six playoff appearances
• The Hawks quickly targeted Snyder as their next head coach after firing Nate McMillan

The Atlanta Hawks have found their man.

The NBA franchise announced on Sunday that Quin Snyder has agreed to a five-year deal to become the Hawks’ new head coach.

He is expected to call the shots for Atlanta when they face the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

The Hawks searched for a coach this past week after firing Nate McMillan last Tuesday, per CBS Sports.

He shouldered much of the blame for Atlanta’s poor season thus far, which saw the Hawks enter the All-Star break with a paltry 29-30 record.

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The onus now is on Snyder to turn the Hawks’ fortunes around and get Atlanta into the playoffs. His proven track record made the 56-year-old coach an appealing option for the team.

Snyder made Utah a contender

Snyder spent eight seasons coaching Utah and was largely successful there.

The Jazz reached the playoffs in six of Snyder’s eight years at the helm and achieved the league’s best regular-season record during the 2020-21 season.

He was also a finalist for the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2018 and 2021.

Utah's playoff shortcomings

The only problem with Snyder was that his Jazz teams always came up short in the playoffs. Dallas eliminated them a season ago despite Mavericks star, Luka Doncic starting their first-round series with an injury.

The LA Clippers eliminated them in the second round in 2021 despite Kawhi Leonard missing the last games of that playoff series. They also squandered a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets in the first round in 2020 when the playoffs were held in an Orlando bubble.

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Those heartbreaking defeats led Jazz management to break up the team. Snyder resigned following the loss to the Mavs before Utah decided to trade stalwarts, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in separate deals.

Snyder replaces McMillan

Sports Brief recently reported on the Hawks’ decision to fire McMillan. Reports initially suggested the Hawks would thoroughly search for their next head coach, with Snyder, Charles Lee, and Kenny Atkinson the leading candidates.

Lee is the Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant, while Atkinson is an assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The Hawks seemingly knew Snyder was their guy however, and they quickly zeroed in on him as their next coach.