Last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline might have seen a lot more fireworks if the Atlanta Hawks had gotten their way.
According to a report by David Aldridge of NBA.com on Monday, the Bucks rejected a trade offer from the Hawks that would have sent point guard Jeff Teague to Milwaukee in exchange for forward Khris Middleton.
Teague, 27, had seen his name come up in trade talks in the weeks prior to the deadline, along with other members of the Hawks’ core. But that sort of asking price is consistent with reports that Atlanta’s asking price for those players was “borderline ridiculous.” As such, nothing ultimately materialized on the trade front for the Hawks.
The decision had to be a no-brainer for the Bucks as there was neither reason nor rationale for them to trade away Middleton, their best three-point shooter and their most important two-way talent. The 24-year-old Texas A&M product is their leading scorer this season, and Milwaukee just made a big commitment to him as a long-term building block by signing him to a five-year, $70 million extension over the summer.
Meanwhile, Teague is an average option at the league’s deepest possession, so it would have made little sense to trade away a 3-and-D wing (arguably the most desired player-type in the NBA), and a potentially elite one at that in Middleton, in order to acquire him.
As they should be, the Bucks appear intent on developing their core trio of young forwards in Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jabari Parker together. For another team to break up that soon-to-be lethal three-headed monster, they’re going to have to do a lot better.
Image Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
H/T RealGM
