NBA Trade Deadline: The 5 players most likely to be dealt

Jeff Teague

Jeff Teague won’t be let go of easily by the Atlanta Hawks. Just last season he was an All-Star, and he’s picking up the pace now with 20.6 points on 53.5 percent shooting over his last five games, and he can make a real difference with his playmaking, shooting and driving ability. That being said, the Hawks have been listening to trade offers, and for a talented point guard, they’re sure to receive some pretty intriguing ones.

To expand on Chris Mannix’s original report, Andy Larsen of KSL.com has reported that the Utah Jazz are interested in making something happen:

"It’s real. Multiple league sources say that the Utah Jazz are indeed considering trading for Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague before February’s trade deadline. While no formal contact has been made between the two sides, the Hawks primary decision maker Mike Budenholzer has a good relationship with both Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey and head coach Quin Snyder from their time together with the Spurs."

They aren’t alone, though. Ian Begley of ESPN has reported that until the trade talks grew to a halt due to a lack of assets, the Knicks have also inquired about trading for Teague:

"The past month, members of the Knicks’ front office made inquiries with the Atlanta Hawksabout point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder, according to league sources familiar with the dialogue. The talks with Atlanta did not progress, due to New York’s lack of assets, sources said."

The Celtics are rumored to at least be having some initial discussions about Teague and even Al Horford as well. Chris Mannix mentioned their interest in making a deal with the Hawks with CSNNE:

"I’ve heard that Boston has inquired about several players with Atlanta, Teague and Al Horford. Teague might seem like a weird fit with this team as they already have point guards, but he is an asset and he’s someone the Celtics could be interested in."

As you can see, plenty of teams are going to want to pry Teague away from Atlanta.

The Jazz have more expendable talent than the Knicks (one good possibility is Alec Burks, for example), so as Begley pointed out, they might not be able to make anything happen with the Hawks. As for the Celtics, Teague probably isn’t at the top of the list of players they’re pursuing, but their interest is still noteworthy. However, while these are the main teams that have expressed the most interest, there’s no doubt that others will be getting on the phone to the Hawks, too.

Organizations like the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks could easily get in on the action, so the sheer amount of attention the Hawks will receive for Teague only increases the likelihood of his potential departure.

With all this interest, Atlanta could wind up getting an offer they won’t refuse for a player they aren’t even favoring over current backup Dennis Schroder long-term. Teague could well be one of the best players in the NBA where a trade seems like a genuine possibility this month.