Trae Young Discusses Atlanta Hawks Coaching Change

Trae Young discussed the Atlanta Hawks firing Nate McMillan for the first time on Friday.

The Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday afternoon. However, the team's star point guard, Trae Young, remained silent on the matter until Friday morning after the team's shootaround.

Young, clad in a black and blue adidas hoodie, squeezed into a crowded media scrum to discuss the coaching change. "I was waking up from a nap and heard about it. It was a surprise to me with the timing and stuff right now, but obviously, I know what this league is, and Nate knows. We've talked since then and stuff like that."

Young continued, "I've got nothing but love and respect for Nate, the type of person he is and things like that, so it's not the last time me and him are going to talk. I talk with all my coaches that I played for."

Trae Young, on the coaching change: pic.twitter.com/iaS20jchlZ

— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) February 24, 2023

Young thanked McMillan for being part of the team's 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run before reiterating his love and respect for the veteran coach. 

When Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Young about his personal relationship with McMillan, the 24-year-old said, "It's a really good relationship. I mean, we won a lot of games with each other."

Young reminisced on a moment he shared with McMillan during last year's Play-In Tournament game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said wryly, "I don't tell everybody everything. I kinda let y'all make up rumors and say things about how I am and how my relationship is with certain people."

Atlanta hosts Cleveland tonight at 7:30 p.m. and desperately needs a win to calm the nerves of a rattled fanbase and an organization in flux. Not to mention, time is running out for Young to lead Atlanta to another late-season playoff push.