NBA trade scenario: Hawks swap Jeff Teague for Grizzlies’ Mike Conley

The Atlanta Hawks have surprisingly made Jeff Teague available in the trade market, sparking several rumours and trade scenarios from around the league for the All-Star point guard.

Teague has been far from his top form of last season, which earned him an All-Star reputation. According to Adrian Wojnarowski’s revelation on The Vertical Podcast, the explosive point guard could be part of the Hawks’ attempt to dump contracts that would give them cap room come free agency.

According to CSNNE’s Chris Mannix, the Hawks are ready to give the starting job to backup PG Dennis Schroeder, whom the team feels has more upside than Teague. Mannix added that Schroeder might be a better long-term player for the Hawks as Teague, who has $8 million remaining in his contract with Atlanta, has more trade value, reports NESN.

The Hawks would probably make the playoffs this year, but they are still far from a title contender who could topple Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. With this in consideration, along with Horford’s impending free agency, an overhaul seems to be the most ideal thing the Hawks should consider.

Teague was immediately linked to several teams after the Hawks made him available via trade. But if the Hawks are looking for an interesting deal that could free them cap space, they may consider a straight swap for Memphis Grizzlies’ own star point guard Mike Conley.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insider has an interesting theory about where the Hawks are going with trading Teague and Horford. According to Kyler, the Hawks may be opting to include Tiago Splitter as a feeler in trading Teague and Horford, giving them over $49.2 million in “usable summer-of-2016 cap space.” By trading for Conley, the Hawks get an expiring contract and a chance to experiment a new point guard tandem with Schroeder.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Moore, there is talk within the Grizzlies organisation that the team is considering the need to trade away Conley instead of losing him in free agency without anything in return. However, Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace insists that the team intends to re-sign Conley in free agency, similar to what Memphis had done with core players of the Grit and Grind era.

But if such a deal materialises, a straight swap would work, according to ESPN’s trade machine. Teague could fit well with the Grit and Grind style of Memphis due to his athleticism and defensive intensity, while Conley’s playmaking skills would be an intriguing asset under Mike Budenholzer’s style.