Nate McMillan denied a report from The Athletic that he has considered stepping away as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. 

"I read that article briefly. I've never spoke to that reporter before. I think the last two weeks he's written a couple of articles with some sources in our organization that are making some comments about me and some things that I'm saying and doing," said McMillan on Friday.

McMillan added that he'll coach out the rest of this year, then re-assess his situation during the offseason. 

McMillan added that retirement is potentially in the picture. 

"Look, at the end of the year, I'll do as I've always done. I'll talk with my family and see if that flame, that fire, to continue next season, but that's the end of the season.

"All of us think about retiring, but that's at the end of the season. We're going to move past that, that story."

Bogdan Bogdanovic has been fined $25,000 for kicking the game ball into the spectator stands.

The incident occurred at the conclusion of the Hawks’ 108-107 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 28 at State Farm Arena.  

Nate McMillan has strongly considered stepping down as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks this season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

McMillan's job has been considered safe and the Hawks have wanted him to finish out the sideline. But McMillan appears at the end of his tenure with the Hawks after the season unless he steps down.

No resignation from McMillan is imminent.

The Hawks have a 17-18 record and have had issues with Trae Young and John Collins.

McMillan took over as Hawks head coach in 2021 after the firing of Lloyd Pierce and had immediate success.

The Atlanta Hawks have been shopping John Collins for a while now. It seems inevitable that Collins and the Hawks will eventually part ways, but the team is moving slowly in trade talks at the moment.

The Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are all known to have an interest in acquiring Collins. The Jazz have been often linked to Collins since the offseason, while the Pacers have been mentioned as a strong candidate in recent weeks.

Collins was nearly traded to the Sacramento Kings this past offseason in a deal that would have sent Harrison Barnes to Atlanta. That trade fell apart, and it's unknown if Sacramento still interest in the Hawks power forward.

Rival executives believe Trae Young could be the next superstar to request a trade if the Atlanta Hawks don't show progress in the playoffs. 

Young can become a free agent in 2026.

The Hawks won just one game in last season's playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Atlanta responded in the offseason by trading for Dejounte Murray.

Landry Fields replaced Travis Schlenk as the lead decision-maker for the Atlanta front office this week. Fields and Young meet routinely and have a great relationship. 

Young is represented by Omar Wilkes of Klutch Sports.

Atlanta Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk is moving into a senior advisory role with the team. General manager Landry Fields will take over the Hawks day-to-day basketball operations.

This shift in responsibility comes at an interesting time. The NBA trade deadline is roughly a month-and-a-half away. The Hawks have spent most of the year around .500 and in range to be in the Play-In Tournament.

Atlanta has been heavily involved in trade rumors, with John Collins the player most often mentioned. Schlenk ran the Hawks basketball operations for six-plus years, and acquired every player on the current roster. Now, those decisions will be made by Fields, who was promoted to the GM role this past offseason.

John Collins is expected to return to game action with the Atlanta Hawks on Monday after missing eight straight games with a sprained left ankle.

Collins is averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game this season with the Hawks.

Collins has also remained the subject of trade rumors this season.

The Phoenix Suns have been trying to find a home for Jae Crowder since he requested a trade this offseason. The Atlanta Hawks are interested in acquiring Crowder, while shopping John Collins themselves. The Utah Jazz have been linked to Collins, so the three teams seem like natural partners in some sort of three-team deal.

In recent weeks, Phoenix, Atlanta and Utah had conversations about a deal that would have landed Crowder in Atlanta, Collins in Utah and potentially Jarred Vanderbilt in Phoenix.

The Jazz are open to trading Vanderbilt, while the Suns have known interest in the big man. The Suns and Hawks have talked trade iterations that would have also sent Landry Shamet to Atlanta, but those talks broke down over draft pick compensation.

The Indiana Pacers have interest in trading for a power forward with John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks as a potential target.

The Pacers have played better than expected after entering the season perceived as a rebuilding team.

Atlanta has been shopping Collins for at least two years now. The 6-foot-9 big man has four years and $102 million left on his contract through 2025-26. Because the Pacers are sitting on close to $30 million in cap space, they can absorb Collins without having to involve complicated salary-matching in a trade. Indiana has told rival teams that they are looking for a power forward to complement their deep guard group led by Tyrese Haliburton.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was fined $25,000 for throwing the game ball into the seats. Young threw the ball in the seats at the end of the game on Sunday.

The Hawks and Young defeated the Chicago Bulls in overtime in Atlanta. Following the final buzzer, Young threw the ball into the stands, seemingly in celebration of the victory.