4 Reasons Why The Jeff Teague For Nerlens Noel Trade Makes Sense
The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks are two teams in two very different situations. The Sixers have been taken over by a new front office (Hello Colangelos) that is determined to rid the franchise of the stains placed by ex-GM Sam Hinkie. The Hawks are a team that is consistently good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to make a run into June. On top of that, the Hawks fear that they may lose their All-Star center Al Horford this summer in free agency. So where does that leave the Hawks? It leaves them with a scary thought: it may be time to rebuild. The Sixers are already rebuilding and are looking for a floor general to take the helm of their offense to go along with Jahlil Okafor and their incoming #1 pick (Hello Ben Simmons?). Coincidentally, the Sixers and Hawks have exactly what the other needs. The Sixers have Nerlens Noel — a young center the Hawks can replace Horford with and rebuild — and the Hawks have Jeff Teague — a proven point guard who can take control of any offense. As of late, rumors of a trade between these two teams with these two players have been swirling and raising eyebrows. So with that said, let’s dive into the 4 reasons why this trade may make sense.
Reason #1: The Hawks already have a solid replacement for Teague
Trading Jeff Teague may not be as risky or drastic as some may think. Since being drafted in 2013, Dennis Schroder has shown flashes of brilliance and the ability to lead an offense. He has improved every year across the board since being drafted and has begun — not so subtly — to push for a starting job. As shown in the chart below, it appears that Schroder more than holds his own when compared to Teague when looking at per 36 minutes stats. With Schroder, Atlanta should be able to survive life without Teague and they’ll have to look no further than their bench for that help.
Reason #2: The Sixers will get a proven floor general to get their act together
Since former GM Sam Hinkie took over the Sixers in 2013, they have been consistently terrible. Hinkie made it a point to effectively tank the Sixers in order to attain high draft picks to build for the future. Of course, winning the number one pick was the goal and ironically enough, the Sixers got the first pick after he skipped town. Hinkie began his tenure by trading away All-Star guard Jrue Holiday and effectively threw a ratchet in his team’s point guard situation. With no stability or quality at arguably the game’s most important position, the Sixers have been destined for failure. Acquiring Teague would stabilize both their point guard situation and offense while slowly moving them back towards a playoff slot in the East.
Reason #3: The Hawks need more athleticism
Rumor has it that Hawks center Al Horford may be looking to make a move in free agency this off-season. Anybody who’s watched Atlanta in recent years would know that Horford is an integral part to the Hawks and would leave a tremendous void if he left. With that said, the Hawks should be looking at possible replacements for Horford and they can find one in Sixers center Nerlens Noel. Noel has proven to be a solid center (primarily on defense) and has one thing that Horford doesn’t: athleticism. That athleticism goes a long way in today’s NBA as most offenses are beginning to incorporate shooting big men more and more. With Noel, the Hawks will have an anchor in the paint and a center who can effectively guard any stretch big that is a threat from the perimeter.
Reason #4: Both the Sixers and the Hawks need change
The Sixers and the Hawks are two teams that have been consistent in recent years. They have been consistent in different ways though. The Sixers have been consistently bad while the Hawks have been consistently mediocre. The Sixers have made annual trips to the Draft Lottery while the Hawks have made annual, but brief, trips to the playoffs (except last year). With the hirings of Jerry and Bryan Colangelo, the Sixers are on a mission to speed up Hinkie’s beloved “Process” and become a contender. A move for Teague will bolster that effort as stated in reason #2. The Hawks may have nowhere to go but down and rebuild. Sometimes you reach a point where being good enough just isn’t enough and they may need to do something about that by starting over. Cashing in their chips with Teague for Noel sure wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
