Interesting piece on Hawks at the deadline.

[parson]

From Bill Simmons' website: http://grantland.com/features/the-nba-swap-meet/

The NBA Swap Meet
The buyers and sellers get ready for action as the NBA trading deadline approaches
....
Which Wild-Card Team Will Surprise Us?

Four teams are generating some curiosity from gawkers around the league:
...

2. Atlanta Hawks

Danny Ferry, true to Spurs form, is radio silent, and Lou Williams’s decline has robbed him of a once intriguing piece. This is a solid roster filled with talented players on movable contracts, but that can cut both ways. The Hawks might be happy landing the no. 3 spot in a turd conference, staying lean, and keeping the war chest intact for whatever comes down the line. But they could also act if a talent they like becomes available, and sources around the NBA continue to insist Ferry is not in love with Jeff Teague’s four-year, $32 million deal. Don’t sleep on the Hawks.

"... sources around the NBA continue to insist Ferry is not in love with Jeff Teague’s four-year, $32 million deal." Hmm. And, all this time, I thought Teague was hurting. So he's been pouting, instead? Give a guy $32 million and he's not happy?

[PandaKidd]

I just dont see what we get in return for Teague. Who out there is really looking for Teague to be their starting PG and give us back a good PF/C/SF?

[parson]

Agree, sadly.

Since we've been talking about Jeff Green, I'll compare Teague to him: talented but inconsistent ... and at a price that's not attractive. He flashes allstar talent, then goes into a shell.

It has to be a lack of pride (if it's not injury) because how can you take $32 million and then decide you just don't feel like playing hard?

[PandaKidd]

TBH he always been temperamental. This is kind of the way he plays, in spurts. 10 games GREAT, 10 games terrible. How many times do we hear "we need jeff to be aggressive" ?

You never hear that about guys like Westbrook, Jennings, CP3, Parker, etc. Teague seems to me like he gets disinterested. Theres nights where he attacks the paint, and theres nights where he just lays off and goes through the motions. Not sure if its a motivation thing, a fatigue thing, injury? I surely hope its not mental.

[azuresou1]

I wouldn't read this as Teague pouting or being disinterested. I would simply read it as Ferry coming to the conclusion that while 4/$32 was a solid market offer for Jeff, the team could be better off with trade pieces coming back.

The question for us is what teams would be interested in Teague and who we could get back for him. Most teams seem set at PG. He also has the right to refuse any trade this season, which would likely rule out some teams.

[parson]

The question for us is what teams would be interested in Teague and who we could get back for him.

BOS is interested only if Rondo were going out.
MIL would be interested next year if they don't draft Smart.
NY, but what could they offer?
I'd love to trade Teague to ORL for Afflalo.
TOR, if they trade Lowry.
HOU, but would he fit?
LAL, what do they offer?
MIN - because their PF situation is a mess.
SAC, they're rumored to be looking to trade Thomas.

[theatlfan]

The problem is that Teague has veto power on any trade and cannot be traded to MIL until the off-season - I think the 1 year anniversary of our matching his RFA offer although a deal could be struck sooner and just announced whenever. That could ruin some decent deals out there now, but I think come Draft Day we could get some more traction in trading him. After Exum, Smart, and now Ennis in the top 10, I don't see a legit PG currently slated for the 1st. There's a handful of combo G types like LaVine, Stauskas, and Harrison and then there are some PGs who could get a bump due to the lack of depth (Jahii Carson), but there's a long stretch from the late lotto area to the end of the 1st where a team would either need to get creative to find a PG, or take what we're offering.

The question for us is what teams would be interested in Teague and who we could get back for him.

BOS is interested only if Rondo were going out.
MIL would be interested next year if they don't draft Smart.
NY, but what could they offer?
I'd love to trade Teague to ORL for Afflalo.
TOR, if they trade Lowry.
HOU, but would he fit?
LAL, what do they offer?
MIN - because their PF situation is a mess.
SAC, they're rumored to be looking to trade Thomas.

Rumors I've seen isn't so much that SAC is looking to trade Thomas as much as they're looking for a pass 1st PG to pair with Thomas. Not sure that Teague fits that bill, but OTOH, if someone blows Thomas away in RFA then maybe SAC will be shoppers.

Speaking on LAL, one scenario that I've kicked around in the past. Assuming that LAL ends up with a pick in the 8-10 range, then would they bite on an offer of Teague for Nash and their pick? LAL nets $1.7M in cap for FA pursuits and the other $8M goes to someone who they can be fairly certain will be on the court. Teague also can guard the PG which helps with Kobe on the floor. We exchange Teague for the expiring (and possibly retiring if he comes here) Nash to net a mid-lotto pick. If Nash retires, no problem, we jump into FA with some extra $$; If he comes here, no problem, his limited minutes would be used to teach the likes of Schröder and Mack about intelligent PG decisions. It's a win/win for us.

[Rip2137]

I am almost certain that LA traded away their first rounder for Nash(if its a mid lottery that is)

There is no way LA trades a lottery pick in this draft for Jeff Teague anyway.

That said, I don't understand why you guys are so consistently low on Teague. His shot attempts haven't dipped, his shot makes have dipped.

He was taking and hitting more jumpers at the start of the season, which is all but gone now. But he has still been running the offense, still getting impressive assist numbers. He does have to keep the turnovers down, but he has still been solid. Its February, he is still averaging 16-7.5. He had a bad January. Now its people wondering if he is pouting. On those nights where people claim he isn't being aggressive, look at his shot attempts and his makes. He tends to go pure point guard mode when his shot isn't falling, I don't understand why people have a problem with that.

[theatlfan]

I am almost certain that LA traded away their first rounder for Nash(if its a mid lottery that is)

There is no way LA trades a lottery pick in this draft for Jeff Teague anyway.

This is their Stepien Rule year where they couldn't trade away their #1 so they have their 1st regardless. BTW, the best resource for future traded draft picks on the web IMO is right here on this site: http://www1.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

As far as would LAL do that, this is my big question as well - really depends on what they think of Nash's contract. The hope would be that they look at his injuries and inability to really mesh with Kobe and consider dumping him. Dealing off someone in the 2nd to 3rd tier of the draft to dump $9+M while also getting a competent starter who'd mesh better with your $20M per year star is actually a decent deal for them. But, once again, the entire deal would revolve around what they think of Nash.