New York Knicks Trade Rumors 2016: Are They Pitching for Jeff Teague?
The New York Knicks have always signified their intentions in trading for a high-quality point guard. With Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, the future of the team's frontcourt is bright. All they need is someone who can facilitate and knows where to put the ball in the floor.
And with the news that the Atlanta Hawks made their starting point guard Jeff Teague available in the trade market, the Knicks are quick to respond, with multiple reports saying that they already began preliminary talks from the guys at Atlanta.
The best thing the Knicks can get out of this trade, provided it materializes, is the fact that Teague is one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference. His team has been a consistent playoff contender since he took over as the starting point. Also, he still is very young at 27 and can perform at an All-Star level.
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It is still unclear why the Hawks are trying to move Teague, considering that he is owed a low figure salary and the only true point guard in the roster is the young, 22-year-old German Dennis Schroder. Ironically, Schroder himself has been involved in trade talks earlier this month, too. So are the Hawks targeting someone else or are they willing to give the responsibility to Schroder and then hope to get a couple of young athletic players in exchange for Teague?
But regardless of what the Hawks really want in trading Teague, the biggest question is what can the Knicks offer them? Their need for a point guard, though, can't be denied. The current starter is aging veteran Jose Calderon, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 assists per game. Those are decent numbers considering that majority of the scoring load is in Anthony's hands. However, getting Teague on board, who by the way averages close to 15 points each game is a definite improvement.
With the Knicks still under .500 at 22-25, they need all the help they can get to reach the playoffs. The trade deadline is still a couple of weeks away and talks between these two teams are expected to heat up in the coming days.
