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Hawks, Budenholzer mutually agree to part ways

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

The Atlanta Hawks and head coach Mike Budenholzer have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Wednesday.

The Hawks had already given Budenholzer permission to interview for other head coaching positions, and he's already reportedly met with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks (though he apparently withdrew from consideration for the Suns job).

Budenholzer took over as the Hawks head coach in 2013, after 17 years as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs. He coached the team to a 213-197 record over five seasons, including the franchise's first-ever 60 win season and first-ever Eastern Conference finals berth in 2014-15.

After last year's middling season, in which they went 43-39 and were dispatched in the first round, the Hawks lost Paul Millsap in free agency, traded Dwight Howard, and pivoted into rebuild mode. They tanked to a 24-58 record in 2017-18, and are staring at a potentially long, arduous road back to relevance.

There are already a host of candidates to replace Budenholzer in Atlanta, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnaroski. Those candidates include Charlotte Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas, Portland Trail Blazers assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool, and Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego.

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