At this point it is well known that Jeff Teague is on the trading block, and there are expected to be several suitors for the former All-Star point guard. It was unclear how serious the Atlanta Hawks were about their willingness to move him, but now it seems to be pretty serious. The Knicks were a team that was linked to a potential Teague deal, but they likely don't have the assets to make it happen. A team that does have the assets and makes sense, in terms of fit, is the Utah Jazz, and they are considering trading for Teague, according to Andy Larsen of KSL.com.
There reportedly has not been any formal contact made between the two teams regarding a deal, but the Jazz are weighing whether it would be worth it to make an offer. These two teams seem to be a good trade matchup because Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has a close relationship with both Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey and head coach Quin Snyder. For that reason, if the Jazz decide they want to make a run at a trade it could come together quickly.
The idea of trading for Teague makes a lot of sense for the Jazz right now, as they are a team positioned for a playoff push, and they could really use a point guard. Trey Burke has been solid for the Jazz this season, but Snyder likes to bring him off the bench which leaves Raul Neto in the starting lineup. Neto is a rookie whom the Jazz had high hopes for this season, but he hasn't been all that good, as he has a 10.1 PER and is averaging just 5.8 points and 2.4 assists per game.
Teague would not only help the Jazz this season but also next year, as he is signed for $8 million in 2016-17. That one extra year works perfectly for the Jazz because Teague could be somewhat of a mentor for Dante Exum in that final year. Exum tore his ACL before this season, but he is fully expected to be the point guard of the future and is expected to make his return to the court next season. Exum and Teague would be able to form a nice one-two punch at the point guard spot while Exum gets eased in, and if he shows enough promise the Jazz could easily just let Teague walk as a 29-year-old free agent.
This all sounds great for the Utah, but the question becomes what they might have to give up to acquire Teague. The likelihood is they would have to send Atlanta at least one first round pick and probably Alec Burks as well. The first round pick wouldn't be too much of an issue, as they have all of their own picks plus the Warriors' pick in 2017 and the Thunder's pick in 2018. Burke is hurt, but he has shown a lot of promise as a scorer off the bench. The Jazz might be OK with moving on from him in a deal, though, because of the great progress starting shooting guard Rodney Hood has shown.
In the end, it will all come down to how much the Jazz value Teague. If they see him as a guy they can get back to playing at an All-Star level they will likely make a push for him. If they see last year as a one-time thing for Teague then they will likely pass, but it seems like their interest is definitely real as they consider offering a package to Atlanta.
