8:11pm: The Hawks' President of Basketball Operations and GM Danny Ferry said in a press release tonight: "We are happy to bring Jeff back to our team. He has improved each year of his career and continues to get better." Ferry continues, "At 25, he’s already been a key contributor on a playoff team and we look forward to seeing him develop into even more of a leader on our team.”
Hawks' head coach Mike Budenholzer also added his thoughts on retaining the point guard: "I am very excited to have the opportunity to coach Jeff. He has a high level of talent. Keeping him with our group allows us to continue to build and improve going forward."
5:50pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Hawks' intention all along was to keep Teague, not sign-and-trade him to the Bucks (Twitter).
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets that a Bucks source tells him the Hawks have officially matched the Bucks' offer for Teague.
As Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer points out, via Twitter, Teague didn't want the Hawks to match the offer and was hoping to be reunited with his coach from the Hawks last season, Larry Drew.
The Racine Journal Times' Gery Woelfel tweets that it'll be interesting to see whether the Bucks still pull of the Brandon Jennings sign-and-trade now that Teague is going back to Atlanta.
5:34pm: According to the Atlanta Journal-Constituation's Chris Vivlamore (via Twitter), the Hawks will match the Bucks' four-year $32MM offer sheet for Jeff Teague.
Only a little earlier today, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times had heard continued chatter the Hawks were not likely to match the Bucks' offer sheet and would let Teague, a restricted free agent, go to Milwaukee. But that appears to have been a mask for their true intentions to match the offer.
Teague had already expressed his desire to Hawks general manager Danny Ferry that he'd like to continue his career elsewhere, which Vivlamore mentions in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution update. Teague would have been reunited with his coach from the Hawks last season, Larry Drew, if the Hawks hadn't matched the offer.
That was quick and surprising.
“A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Hawks’ intention all
along was to keep Teague, not sign-and-trade him to the Bucks” ….yet that didn’t stop various news outlets from reporting ( threw “sources” ) that the Hawks where not going to match….I guess a great way to get hits on a story LOL
They will try to trade him. They drafted Schroeder to be the guy, and they won’t be waiting 4 yrs for it to happen. This hurts Brandon Jennings as it takes another team off the board. He’ll need to sign for much less than he was asking for. The Bucks would be stupid to overpay for him. I’d rather have Ridnour and Wolters be at PG this year and tank the season. Next year, get a few #1 picks and sign a big FA and make a run.