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With three weeks until the NBA trade deadline, the rumor mill has started to churn and one name in particular has been floated as a possible option for the Jazz.
The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly shopping Jeff Teague and Utah is rumored to be a landing spot for the point guard.
The Hawks have been listening to offers for both their point guards, according to reports from ESPN and Yahoo, though the team would prefer to move Teague if a deal is to be done. Teague is averaging 14.3 points and 5.5 assists per game, but his numbers have dropped from his All-Star season a year ago. His minutes have fallen, too, as he splits more and more time with third-year point guard Dennis Schröder.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who as an assistant in Atlanta worked with Teague for a season, said his squad isn't paying attention the speculation and rumors.
"I really like our group so much," Snyder said. "So it's easy for me to stay focused on the present. … I'm not in that world. I'm here and watching our opponents. So I'm sure all that stuff is going on out there, I'm more concerned about the guys we have."
The Jazz, meanwhile, certainly have the assets to get a deal done if they're interested. An ESPN report this week suggested the possibility of packaging guards Trey Burke and Alec Burks in a swap for Teague. Utah also owns the Warriors' 2017 first-round pick and a future first-rounder from Oklahoma City in addition to all its own picks and a plethora of second-rounders.
The 27-year-old Teague is set to make $8 million next season before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2017. The acquisition would make some sense for the Jazz, despite already having three point guards (Burke, Raul Neto and Dante Exum) already. Snyder, an assistant with the Hawks before coming to Utah, is familiar with the guard's abilities.
And while Exum is presumed to be the franchise's starting point guard of the future, bringing in a veteran such as Teague would let Exum ease back from the ACL tear he suffered last summer while simultaneously providing insurance for the Jazz should Exum not take the leaps the team expects from him in his development.
Holding on tight
Needing a 3-pointer to force overtime Monday against Detroit, Gordon Hayward readied himself for one last play and a shot at the buzzer. But as the Jazz leader started to make his first move, Pistons forward Marcus Morris appeared to grab him around the midsection.
In its review of that game's final play, the NBA said the officials were correct to not call a foul and said Morris made "incidental contact" and did not impeded Hayward's freedom of movement.
For Hayward, it was the latest in a series of missed calls at the end of games.
"They're letting guys hold us especially at the end of games," the forward said. "I try to talk to the refs and tell them. It doesn't seem to matter. We're just going to have to be sharper, maybe push them back, just be more physical."
Playing time for Pleiss
Rookie center Tibor Pleiss is heading back to the D-League for his second assignment of the season. The 7-footer has made appearances in seven games since being brought back from Idaho on Dec. 16. Pleiss is expected to suit up for the Stampede when they visit the Austin Spurs on Friday.
"I think it helped him last time," Snyder said. "And I think he's gone into it with the right frame of mind this time as well."
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