For Jeff Teague, being traded by the Atlanta Hawks couldn’t have seemed likely. He’s had an All-Star season in 2015 and was rightfully part of the team’s true core. But when the younger Dennis Schröder started to pick up steam as possibly the lead guard of the future, Teague became more tradable.
With Teague gone, Horford off to Boston and Dwight Howard in his place, the Hawks have definitely taken on a much different look. Teague spoke with The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski about the difficulty of splitting minutes with Schroder this past season in Atlanta:
“I knew that it was coming to an end,” Teague, 28, told The Vertical. “I could feel it. I knew they were going into a different direction and could tell it wasn’t with me. But I accepted it.”
Eventually, Teague’s minutes started to shrink as Schroder, the young, explosive point guard started to earn a greater role.
“I would say that it made the year harder,” Teague said. “I felt like we could’ve played more together, that we could’ve been a really dynamic two guys who could shoot and penetrate and do it all. But it became a tug-of-war based on who was playing better.
A two guard front set isn’t an unpopular look, but everyone doesn’t do it if they don’t have to. Mike Budenholzer clearly wasn’t a fan, and Schröder now has the starting point guard spot locked for the Hawks.
Teague replaces George Hill for Indiana, who was sent to Utah in that three-team trade, as the Pacers primary lead guard. With the kind of offseason the Pacers have had, Teague has still landed in an impressive situation. Despite what could have been more respectable pursuits at success in Atlanta, the Hawks took more of a reset approach, and both sides may be better for it.
