NBA: Philadelphia 76ers Trying To Acquire Jeff Teague From Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks’ season came to an early end when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals in the NBA Playoffs. The Hawks were swept by LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Now, the Hawks will turn their attention to the off season. Hawks management will have some tough decisions to make this summer. According to CBS Sports, the Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers are currently discussing a deal that will send point guard Jeff Teague to Philadelphia.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Jeff Teague with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacons star spent the majority of his first two seasons in the National Basketball Association coming off the bench. Teague was inserted during the playoffs in the second round. In his third year, Jeff was one of the league’s most improved players. Teague has spent his entire career with the Atlanta Hawks. He has been selected to the All-Star game once in his seven year career.

The Atlanta Hawks have a dilemma at the point guard position. The Hawks have Dennis Schroder and Jeff Teague. Both players are guys who can be starters on another NBA team. Teague is an established starter in the National Basketball Association. That experience might give him an edge over Schroder. This season, Teague averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

The Philadelphia 76ers recently hired Bryan Colangelo to help speed up the process of rebuilding the team to get back into the NBA Playoffs. Colangelo is looking to make a splash in his first summer with the 76ers. Philadelphia has the first pick in this year’s draft. They are expected to select either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. The team is in need of some veteran leadership and a point guard. Jeff Teague fits that bill. The 76ers will have plenty of assets at their disposal to make a trade for Teague.

Last season, the Philadelphia 76ers recorded only 10 wins. They are in need of a big turnaround. Their starting point guard was Ish Smith. They traded for him from the New Orleans Pelicans for two future second round draft picks. He did an amazing job for the 76ers. Smith averaged a career high in points, assists, and rebounds. Even so, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacons star isn’t a big name star in the NBA.

The Philadelphia 76ers will have to give up some valuable young players if they want to convince the Atlanta Hawks to give up Jeff Teague. The 76ers will most likely have to package a couple of players for this trade to happen. According to Hoops Hype, the 76ers will most likely have to part ways with center Nerlens Noel and shooting guard Nik Stauskas or small forward Robert Covington. Noel will enter the final year of his rookie contract.

You’re probably asking yourself why would both teams agree to this trade. For one, the Philadelphia 76ers are in need of an established point guard. Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are the only two players in this year’s NBA Draft that are worthy of the first overall pick. Both of those players are not point guards. They have a stockpile of young big men on their roster. For the Atlanta Hawks, they have two starting caliber point guards on their team. Center Al Horford will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He will be commanding a maximum contract. The Hawks might not want to pay Horford that deal.

If this trade does end up happening, it could be very beneficial for both teams. Both the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers will be able to fill in a needed position on their team.