Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young spoke with reporters on Friday and addressed the organization's decision to move on from head coach Nate McMillan. While there has been reported friction between McMillan and Young, the point guard called the decision “surprising” while explaining that he had “nothing but love and respect for Nate.”
Additionally, Young, who will soon be playing under his third coach in five NBA seasons, responded to the notion that he is a supposed “coach killer.”
“People are gonna say what they got to say,” he said of the label, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I mean, a lot of players have played for a lot of coaches. So, I don’t look at it like that. I’m not looking at the next coach that comes in here or whatever.
“I’m just trying to, I’m trying to win championships,” Young continued. “So, whatever it is, I’m just trying to win. So that’s all I care about.”
While McMillan's exit is understandable on some fronts -- he has been flirting with .500 over the last two seasons -- a heated incident between Young and McMillan in December may have provided some spark for the move. Young also had some well-documented issues with McMillan’s predecessor, Lloyd Pierce.
While the Hawks will continue to go as Young goes -- the 24-year-old was a 2022 All-NBA selection and is a multi-time All-Star who has already led the team to a Conference Finals berth -- perhaps the veteran coach Atlanta is reportedly trying to hire will be able to command more respect from him.
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