One trade every NBA team needs to make
By Tom West
Atlanta Hawks
Here is the first of two trade ideas that consider where the Hawks may trade Jeff Teague if they are truly planning to move forward with Dennis Schroder as their starting point guard. If you’ve been paying any attention to recent NBA trade rumors, you’ll have seen this is the case.
Hawks had been soliciting offers for Teague or Dennis Schroder, per rival execs. Though recently they have focused more on Teague.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) January 27, 2016
It’s no secret that Teague — while he’s still a talented player and former All-Star — has regressed slightly this season. Counter in Schroder’s current production, vision, instincts and potential (18.5 points and 7.8 assists per 36 minutes is a nice insight to that) and the fact the Hawks’ offensive rating is 4.6 points better with him on the floor than it is with Teague, it makes sense that Atlanta try to bring in a solid return on the latter.
The Jazz may be a good team for them to look to, and as Andy Larsen of KSL.com has pointed out, they are interested in Teague even if they haven’t made official calls yet.
To my knowledge, the Jazz haven't had any formal conversations with the Hawks about Jeff Teague. But it is something they're considering.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 31, 2016
One possible trade could involve the Hawks sending Teague and Tim Hardaway Jr. to Utah for Alec Burks and Raul Neto.
This gives the Jazz a real upgrade at point over Neto, not to mention Teague can do far more to help their offense which ranks 26th in points per game. As for the Hawks, a 24-year-old like Burks, who averages 19 points per 36 minutes and shoots 38.7 percent from three, can add even more punch to their offense off the bench and provide some driving ability, too. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Neto and Hardaway helps balance out each team’s depth at both guard positions.
The Jazz need a point guard upgrade, and seeing as the Hawks are already set at that position with Schroder, they should be more than happy to bring in an athletic scorer like Burks.
Next: Miami Heat