Jeff Teague just chuckled.
That was all.
The Hawks point guard wanted nothing to do with a question about his recent solid play for fear it would insinuate it had something to do with trade rumors he simply can’t escape.
Teague had just finished with 17 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes of a 113-90 win over the Bulls on Wednesday night. It capped a stretch of eight games in which Teague has more closely resembled the player that was an All-Star last season.
“Just playing ball,” Teague said after several prompts.
Over those past eight games, Teague averaged 20.6 points, 5.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Hawks went 4-4 in that period but the mark felt worse after two losses to the Magic on consecutive days.
The Hawks will carry the impressive win over the injury-depleted Bulls into the week-long All-Star break. They were able to maintain a second-half double-digit lead, something they were unable to do against the Magic at home on Monday. The Hawks don’t return to the court until a mandatory practice until Feb. 18, one day before they host the Heat in the first game back.
But in the meantime, there is another order of business.
The NBA trade deadline is also Feb. 18. Name a team and it has probably been publicly linked to having inquired about Teague, the Knicks, Celtics, Pacers, 76ers to list the latest few. The Hawks are not actively trying to trade Teague, according to people familiar with the situation. However, it is the trade deadline and they will listen to any and all offers.
Teague is one of the big names being mentioned for several reasons. He makes $8 million this season and will again next season in the final year of his contract. That is an extremely reasonable salary for an All-Star caliber point guard. In addition, opposing general managers look at the Hawks as a team with two starting point guards. Dennis Schroder is an up-and-coming player in the league and will someday be a starter.
In both cases, the Hawks can bargain from a position of strength. They may very well not make a trade, involving Teague or any other player, as they are in the middle of a playoff race.
How serious are the trade rumors and speculation surrounding Teague? It caused an internet stir earlier this week when it was noticed that Teague had deleted photos of himself in Hawks gear from his Instagram account. Relax. Teague said the photos were deleted some time ago and there was nothing to read into any of it.
Hawks president of basketball operations and coach Mike Budenholzer has maintained the same stance throughout recent weeks as speculation has swirled about not only Teague, but also Al Horford and other players.
“Nothing has changed,” Budenholzer said Wednesday. “We have a good team, good players. We’ve been a little bit inconsistent. I will continue to be protective of the group.”
Teague is third on the Hawks in scoring at 15.1 points per game behind Paul Millsap (17.7) and Horford (15.3). Teague leads the team at 5.5 assists per game but he is averaging 36:30 minutes per game, the fewest of the starters. Schroder averages 33:26.
Last season, his first as an All-Star, Teague averaged 15.9 points and seven assists in 30:30 minutes. The Hawks were a 60-win team and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. They go into the break with a 31-24 record and are fourth in the conference.
No matter where he ends up, in a week Teague will look to continue his recent play.
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