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Though most of the NBA’s attention is on the upcoming 2020 draft and negotiations concerning next season, there is always movement in the coaching ranks. In fact, the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t currently have a head coach and, around the league, assistant coaching positions are very much in flux, as evidenced by the recent hires of Mike D’Antoni and Ime Udoka with the Brooklyn Nets. On Friday evening, an interesting name emerged in conjunction with the Atlanta Hawks, as Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that Lloyd Pierce’s staff is a “potential landing spot” for former Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan.
The Hawks have explored adding McMillan to Lloyd Pierce’s staff and, as @Jonathan_Feigen reported earlier this week, Houston has expressed interest in both McMillan and Jeff Hornacek to add head coaching experience to new coach Stephen Silas’ staff with the Rockets
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 31, 2020
As Stein notes, the Houston Rockets are also a possibility and, in theory, the Rockets might want a veteran voice under newly hired head coach Stephen Silas, who will be in the No. 1 chair for the first time. From Atlanta’s standpoint, it is never a bad thing to add an experienced perspective to the mix, and McMillan is highly respected in league circles.
At this juncture, it remains unclear where this process stands, and McMillan could also choose to take a year off after parting ways with the Pacers in late August. The 56-year-old finished with a .574 winning percentage in four seasons with Indiana and, prior to that, McMillan was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for five seasons and the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for more than six seasons.
Stay tuned as more information becomes available.