Report: Jazz interested in Hawks' Teague
Jeff Teague's name has been tossed around in trade rumors quite a bit lately as the Atlanta Hawks look to shake things up. They've gone 4-6 in their last 10 games and 6-9 in January, following a season in which they finished with a franchise-best 60-22 record.
Related: Hawks discussing Jeff Teague with multiple teams, including Knicks
KSL.com's Andy Larsen reported Sunday the Utah Jazz are looking to enter the Teague sweepstakes.
A potential deal between the two middling teams could benefit both squads, as the Hawks (27-22) are currently three-and-a-half games away from being out of a playoff position, while the Jazz (21-25) are trailing the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers by just half a game.
Expediting Atlanta's urgency to re-establish Eastern Conference relevance are their ever-growing issues at the wing positions. They're shooting 33.9 percent from 3-point land (20th in the league) and the PER of key cogs - such as Kent Bazemore (14.6), Thabo Sefolosha (13.2), and Kyle Korver (9.5) - are lower than several of the team's second- and third-string players.
Leveraging Teague, who was an All-Star last year, as a central piece in any potential deal figures to provide the Jazz with what they sorely lack: an experienced veteran floor general capable of scoring at will and facilitating for others.
Although the 27-year-old Wake Forest alumnus is having a statistical down year by his own standards - 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists - he's shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc and his 1.3 steals per game has helped the Hawks earn the No. 3 spot in the NBA in team steals.
Larsen and ESPN's Zach Lowe have suggested that Trey Burke, Alec Burks, and Rodney Hood could be targets for the Hawks, as any of these players would provide a much-needed boost on the perimeter.
Should the Hawks bid farewell to Teague, they'd likely promote Dennis Schroder to starting point guard. The 22-year-old German's PER is virtually identical to Teague's and his overall stats are just slightly lower despite playing seven fewer minutes per game.