The New York Knicks are in need of an upgrade at the point guard position. Jose Calderon is past his prime; Jerian Grant has yet to reach his prime; Langston Galloway is a spirited defender and a knockdown shooter, but he’s not an elite guard in the NBA. And with the Eastern Conference looking the way it is, an upgrade at point guard play could vault the Knicks into a more favorable seed — perhaps even homecourt in the first round. As such, the Knicks are looking at making a move for Hawks point guard, Jeff Teague.
The Knicks and Hawks have conducted “very preliminary” trade talks concerning point guard Jeff Teague, league sources confirmed. However, a trade seems improbable.
The Hawks are fielding calls on both Teague and Dennis Schroder. Teague has regressed a tad from his All-Star play last season. He’s still a very good point guard in this league, but Schroder’s continual progression has made Teague expendable. The former Demon Deacon would provide a sure hand at the point guard position for the Knicks, though. He’s not the ideal triangle point guard, but Derek Fisher could definitely utilize Teague’s quickness and decision making in the pick and roll.
A Teague arrival would do wondrous things for Kristaps Porzingis, who doesn’t quite have the pick and roll partner that can unlock his entire skill set. Carmelo Anthony spotting up around a Porzingis-Teague pick and roll could make for a dangerous offense, too.
New York may not have the assets to compete for Teague. They still have draft picks hanging in limbo from the disastrous Andrea Bargnani trade and they have only a few young assets. Jerian Grant is an interesting piece, but a team like Utah could easily outbid the Knicks for Teague’s services. This will be an interesting development to watch as the trade winds blow before the All-Star Break and the trade deadline in the week after.
