Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague is an extremely interesting prospect given that it was rumored that the Jazz were looking to trade for him at the 2016 trade deadline and because he was actually a part of the trade that netted George Hill for the Jazz. Given the fact that Utah sent their 12th pick in the draft directly to Atlanta, there’s a good chance that had they wanted Teague over Hill, they could have simply left Indiana out of the picture and traded straight up for him.
However, that obviously wasn’t the case as Utah ended up with Hill instead. Nevertheless, with Teague also set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, he could still be a great replacement for Hill as well, particularly given his familiarity with Quin Snyder from his time in Atlanta.
And although Teague is an Indiana native and was apparently thrilled to join his hometown team at the season’s start, things haven’t exactly gone smoothly since he’s joined the Indiana Pacers.
It’s been a rocky up and down season for the Pacers as it’s seemed like every time they’ve started to gain momentum, they’ve followed it up by faltering considerably. That’s a large reason why they’ve hovered around .500 all season long and why they currently find themselves in serious danger of falling out of the playoff picture entirely.
The numbers certainly don’t suggest that the issue resides with Teague. Despite a brutal start to the season for him, he has gotten things turned around in a big way and at times has been Indiana’s most promising contributor. He has struggled to find his shot somewhat this season, but he’s averaging a solid 15.0 points and 7.9 assists on the year.
Yet Indiana has dealt with chemistry problems all season long. The level of talent on that team should be enough for them to easily make the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference, but their cohesion has been so awful this season that their postseason hopes are in fact a little bit shaky.
Pacers star Paul George has repeatedly criticized the Pacers lack of chemistry and trust all season long and while he hasn’t necessarily come out and pointed a finger specifically at Teague, given the fact that he’s a key piece of everything Indy does as the point man running the offense, it would stand to reason that he’s part of George’s perceived issues with the team.
Pacers’ Paul George: ‘There’s no trust, there’s no chemistry, there’s no belief. We’re kind of just lifeless right… https://t.co/awzjNnIDw4
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) November 8, 2016
Thus, while it was a dream come true for Teague to join his hometown team, it wouldn’t be that surprising to find him anxious to get into a less toxic and frustrating situation on a new squad as an unrestricted free agent. It’s unfortunate that things have worked out for him as they have so far, so depending on what he and/or the Pacers decide to do during the offseason, he may very well be in for a change.
If that ends up being the case and Utah loses Hill, then Teague could potentially find a home in Salt Lake City. Given that Hill was essentially traded for him, there’s obviously a perception of the two being nearly equal in value and though Teague, like Holiday, isn’t as good of a defender as Hill and quite frankly hasn’t been as good of a shooter, he’s quick attacking the rim, distributes the ball well and is three years younger than Hill, which could again be better for Utah over the long-term.
Therefore, while there’s no clear indication that Teague has any desire to part from his newly-joined Indy team at the end of this year, it certainly doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities and if he becomes available, he could turn out to be a nice fit for the Jazz if they have need of his services.