Larry Drew wanted to bring point guard Jeff Teague with him to Milwaukee and it appears he has succeeded in the effort. The former Atlanta Hawks head coach praised the young player for his abilities while the two worked together, so it only seemed natural that Drew recruited Teague after the Bucks' point guard situation began to sour. After laying down an offer sheet for the restricted free agent, reports are that Teague has signed it with no counter from the Hawks.
Yahoo! Sports reports Teague signed a four-year, $32 million offer sheet from Milwaukee. The Hawks have three days to match the offer, but all signs point to Teague reuniting with Drew. A deal for Teague has been in the works for almost a week now. Now, the two teams will likely try and ramp up negotiations of a possible sign-and-trade with either Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis. Jennings has been unclear in his intentions with Milwaukee, while Ellis has narrowed his free agent options down to four teams with the Hawks being one of them.
In order for the Bucks to be able to sign Teague to the given offer, getting rid of Jennings is necessary. The restricted free agent wanted $12 million from Milwaukee for four years, but the team laughed at those demands. Now with Teague likely headed over, Jennings time with the Bucks is over.
The Hawks have officially signed Paul Millsap to replace Josh Smith. At 28, he is a proven scorer with a strong mid-range shot. In his career, he has averaged a 51.6 shooting percentage. Pairing Millsap with Al Horford will be productive for the Hawks, but they need another scoring threat to compliment the two. Jennings would be a nice fit. Ellis might work as well, but he did not exactly jump on board with Atlanta when the team was pursing him earlier in free agency.
Jennings 17 points per game would be a welcome to Atlanta, especially if the team can put a strong supporting cast around him. He has a habit of taking bad shots, but his potential is high. The Hawks are also considering free agent Mo Williams to replace Teague. This would not set up Atlanta for future success, but keep them in the mid-level range and in the running for lottery picks.
Of course the ideal situation is keeping Teague on the team with enough money left over to sign Ellis, but things have not worked out in the Hawks favor so far, so do not expect them to start now. Teague is headed out and now the team must get creative for a replacement.