Hawks make significant coaching staff hire

Igor Kokoskov has signed a deal to become a top assistant with the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Kokoskov will bring plenty of NBA experience to a Hawks team looking to make a jump in the Eastern Conference under head coach Quin Snyder.

Kokoskov has taken up jobs as an assistant coach with multiple NBA teams, including the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets. He served as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns during the 2018-19 season. They gained a record of 19-63 during his one-year tenure, good enough for 15th in the Western Conference.

Snyder was hired as the Hawks head coach in February. He gained a record of 13-15 in the 28 games he coached for Atlanta during the 2022-23 season, according to Basketball Reference. The 56-year-old was the head coach of the Utah Jazz from 2014 to '22 and an assistant for Atlanta from 2013-14.

"From our first conversation, it was clear that Quin had all the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach," Hawks general manager Landry Fields said in a February release, via NBA.com. "He has both an incredible basketball and emotional IQ, and we share the same core values and basketball philosophies of having honest communication and collaboration with players, tremendous attention to detail and placing a great emphasis on player development.

"We are excited to welcome him, his wife Amy and their family back to Atlanta."

Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Antonio Lang was expected to leave the Cavs to join Atlanta earlier this month, according to Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor. The Hawks brought in Jeff Watkinson and Steve Klei in March. 

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hawks beat reporter Lauren Williams wrote Watkinson will have the title of assistant coach - integrative basketball development in a March tweet. Klei will be an assistant coach.