As the coaching vacancies across the association begin to fill up with the offseason on the horizon, the Atlanta Hawks resume their hunt for the successor to Mike Budenholzer.
Atlanta has been linked to numerous names across the coaching market but reportedly, the list has been narrowed down to just four names. According to Michael Cunningham of Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks final four candidates are Jay Larranaga, Lloyd Pierce, Nate Tibbetts and Stephen Silas.
The Hawks have narrowed their head coaching search down to four candidates, according to a person with knowledge of the team’s plans. They are Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce, Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga.
Tibbetts already has met with Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler and Pierce could do so soon. Silas and Larranaga also remain in the running for the job, according to the person with knowledge of the team’s search.
Out of all the remaining available vacancies, the Hawks have the allure of playing in the weaker Eastern Conference along with a potential top-five draft pick. Still, the Hawks don’t have many pieces in place besides perhaps Dennis Schroeder and the up and coming Taurean Prince, making the job still rather challenging.
All four candidates are solid options for a team looking to undergo a rebuild but Lloyd Pierce and Stephen Silas may have the biggest edge. Both were part of the Warriors front office while Hawks GM was a front office executive there.
This previous relationship could give Pierce and Silas the likeliest chances of landing the job but it’s clear Larranaga and Tibbetts are also still very much in the running.
