The Atlanta Hawks found themselves in an interesting position, approached by their recent heated rival, the New York Knicks, about the availability of head coach Quin Snyder. The Hawks told the Knicks no.
Judging from Trae Young’s reaction, that was the right move. Young and Snyder have frequently had each other’s backs amid a turbulent start to their tenure together, and this is no different.
“Hell nahh [laughing emojis],” Young posted on X on June 11.
Young’s reaction came in the comment section of ESPN insider Shams Charania’s post on X reporting on the matter. Charania added that the Hawks “firmly denied” the Knicks of their request to interview Snyder.
Moreover, this is the third official “no” the Knicks have received in the wake of their surprising decision to fire Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau had led the team since 2021, and 2024-25 was the Knicks’ best season in 25 years.
Young has been through two other coaches, but just one who was initially hired for the big chair, Lloyd Pierce, who was fired the season the Hawks made their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That this comes against the Knicks, with whom there is no love lost for the Hawks, makes it sweeter.
Quin Snyder, Trae Young bond key for Hawks
After one full season as the head coach, and parts of two others, including the one in which he took over, Nate McMillan – originally Pierce’s assistant – was fired midseason for Snyder.
With the Hawks’ recent hirings and speculation over Snyder’s say, this is a strong statement.
“It's not easy playing for Quin,” Young said in a clip from Hawks media day. “But whenever you know how to run through a system, run through his offense, it's – the game is so easy and so simple. And we showed a lot of moments and times last year we had that, and I'm just looking forward to this season and continuing to improve on that every game and be more consistent with it.”
Young bought in more under Snyder than he had under previous coaches, playing off the ball and even giving more effort defensively. Likewise, Snyder has made it a point to put the public on notice about what Young was doing even as the Hawks navigated a turbulent season.
“Everybody should get their pens out and start writing about Trae Young. Because he was poised with the officials, from the very beginning of the game, he got blitzed. He trusted his teammates, he wasn't selfish, he got off the ball early to shooters, then he started hitting Clint [Capela] in the roll. He managed the game,” Snyder told reporters after a loss to the Sacramento Kings in November 2024.
“If anybody doesn't look at his performance tonight and respect the mental toughness that he has to play with right now when everything is going through him with admiration for his competitiveness and the trust he has in his teammates – The guy was unbelievable. It was unbelievable. And not diminishing other guys' efforts, but that was a hell of a performance and we shouldn't lose track of that because we lost the game.”
The paring seems to be going as strong as ever.