Philadelphia 76ers assistant Lloyd Pierce met with Atlanta Hawks officials for a third time Friday, emerging as the primary focus of the franchise’s head-coaching search, league sources told ESPN.
A formal offer is expected as soon as today, league sources said.
Pierce traveled to Atlanta and met with team officials, including general manager Travis Schlenk, on Friday at the team’s facility, league sources said.
Pierce first met with Schlenk a week ago, and he met with Atlanta majority owner Tony Ressler earlier this week.
Atlanta parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer on April 25.
As Atlanta moves into a complete rebuild, Pierce’s experience with Philadelphia’s process and strong background in player development have made an impression on Schlenk and ownership. Atlanta has four picks in the top 33 of the June NBA draft.
Pierce has been an assistant for 11 years with Cleveland, Golden State, Memphis and Philadelphia.
He spent four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Santa Clara, before joining the NBA. He played with Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash at Santa Clara.
Source : ESPN
