NBA Trade Deadline: Ranking value of 5 stars on the market
By Tom West
3. Jeff Teague
As the reports saying the Atlanta Hawks may be willing to move some of their core persist, the talent and value of Jeff Teague as a 2014-15 All-Star at the NBA’s most important position make him a key name to watch before the trade deadline. Yes, he isn’t quite star status, but at his best he’s still one of the better points out there.
After all the suggestions and rumors that have been flying around, we may not even see Teague get dealt. That can always be the case with the trade deadline, as nothing is set in stone till it’s made official and there’s normally a lot of speculation involved. Yet, for a talented point guard, despite regressing somewhat this season, Teague holds a lot of value when there aren’t many others who seem to be available. To earn him a place at three on this list, it’s the asking price from the Hawks that is helping keep that value so high as well.
In fact, Chris Mannix reported on his podcast for The Vertical that the Hawks may not be too serious about shopping Teague or Al Horford after all, unless they get a major return. As is always the case with deadline week, though, things can change in an instant and if a good offer comes in, they won’t just turn it away.
"According to a couple of executives, Atlanta is not really serious about trading Teague or Horford. They’re just looking for one of those Godfather-type of deals."
Alternatively, Fred Kerber of the New York Post has reported that an NBA executive believes the Hawks are still willing to blow up part of their core:
"One league exec claimed the Hawks “are going to break up that team,” so Teague, Kyle Korver and Al Horford have been mentioned as candidates to move. Korver may entice the Cavs, while Boston could be looking at Horford or Houston’s Dwight Howard."
The last hours of deadline week are just a waiting game, although the interest in Teague is high so it seems like there’s still a good possibility of him being traded. And seeing as the NBA is full of so many dominant point guards, teams without one will need to keep up.
This is where Teague can come in to help, as regardless of his drop off and loss of All-Star status, he still has a lot to offer. He’s always been a fast, explosive point guard with strong driving ability, and that’s allowed him to finish 59.3 percent of his shots within three feet during his career. This season, his average of 19 points per 36 minutes is more than respectable.
On top of that, he’s actually raised his three-point percentage this season to a career-high 40.8. And over the last eight games, he’s elevated his performance (probably since hearing trade rumors emerge) with 19.4 points and 5.5 assists per game on 49.5 percent shooting with a 48.5 percent stroke from three. If he can maintain better efficiency going forward and look more like the player who could calmly run an elite offense as we saw last season, Teague can be a major addition to a team with a struggling backcourt.
With Whiteside’s potential, he could easily be placed ahead of Teague and the Hawks point guard obviously isn’t one of the biggest stars that teams will want in deadline week. The key is that he might be more available, which is what we’re looking at here.
Due to the high demand for point guards, the high asking price from Atlanta and the issues with Whiteside’s mentality and contract give Teague a chance to steal the third spot.
Next: Al Horford