1. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an excellent team when fully healthy. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors anchor a stout defense, Gordon Hayward is becoming a star, Rodney Hood has morphed into a reliable scorer and underrated playmaker out of pick-and-roll sets, and head coach Quin Snyder has his team executing on both ends of the floor.
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But the Jazz could certainly use an upgrade at the point guard position, since there’s only so much time for this young core to grow together before the team runs out of cap space to pay everyone. Raul Neto has done a commendable job in the starting role, Trey Burke has become more efficient in his bench role and Alec Burks was having a career year before his ankle injury, but Teague might be a better option than all of them.
With Burks sidelined, Dante Exum out for the entire season and Burke and Neto both amounting to average role players, trading for Teague would provide Utah with an upgrade to help them get to the next level. The Jazz would be sacrificing their two primary sixth men in this deal, but they’d be getting one hell of a consolation prize in the process.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe first suggested this hypothetical swap weeks ago, and it would make some sense for both sides. The Jazz would be banking on Hayward re-signing with the team next summer when he has the power to opt out and try to get a max extension, but turning Burks and Burke into Teague would help Utah’s offense take the next step without giving up much on the defensive end.
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For the Hawks, the team would be turned over to Schroder, Burke could continue to progress as a more efficient bench gunner and Burks, upon getting healthy, would supply another dose of scoring as a sixth man — and possible insurance if the price of re-signing Kent Bazemore in free agency this summer is too steep.
In terms of realism and fit, this is the Jeff Teague swap that makes the most sense.