Knicks Talked With Hawks About Jeff Teague

THURSDAY, 7:55am: “Very preliminary” is how league sources who spoke with Fred Kerber of the New York Post described the talks. Kerber indicates that a deal between the sides probably won’t happen.

1:12pm: The discussions are casual and have been going on for several days, a league source told Begley, who writes in a full story.

WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: The Knicks are among several teams to have discussed a potential Jeff Teague trade with the Hawks, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, citing league sources (Twitter links). Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reported earlier that Atlanta was talking to teams about the point guard.

Dealing for Teague may well require some creativity from the Knicks, given a lack of assets for New York to trade, Begley asserts. It’s unclear exactly what the Hawks would want for the point guard who’s making $8MM this season and another $8MM next year, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote Tuesday that Atlanta wants to contend this season. A trade of Teague would presumably clear the way for Dennis Schröder to take the point guard reigns in Atlanta, which has suffered this season from the free agent defection of small forward DeMarre Carroll. Soon-to-be free agent Lance Thomas has emerged as a contributor at the three this year for New York, but it’s not known whether the Knicks are open to trading Thomas or if Atlanta has any interest in him.

Dealing for Teague without sending out anyone with a contract that includes guaranteed salary for next season would take a bite out of New York’s cap flexibility, Begley points out (on Twitter). The Knicks will already be hard-pressed to create the cap room necessary for a max offer to Kevin Durant, whom some executives believe will at least listen to the Knicks during his free agency this summer, as Begley reported earlier.

Would Teague be a fit for the Knicks? Leave a comment to tell us.

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