Milwaukee Bucks to sign veteran guard Jeff Teague, per report
The Milwaukee Bucks have been somewhat of an afterthought in the Eastern Conference playoff race. After all, the Philadelphia 76ers own the best record in the East. Secondly, the Brooklyn Nets have tinkered with their roster as well. This includes the recent additions of Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
In spite of these trends, the Milwaukee Bucks have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. And they have recorded eight wins in their 10 previous outings. While the Bucks are trending in the right direction, they were in need of depth at the backup point guard spot.
Milwaukee traded D.J. Augustin in a deal for P.J. Tucker earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics dealt Jeff Teague to the Orlando Magic. Orlando saw little value in retaining the veteran point guard and opted to waive Teague.
As the saying goes “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to add Teague to their second unit.
For Bucks fans, this move may not move the needle all that much. You see, Teague didn’t put up overly impressive numbers during his lone season with the Celtics. In fact, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.1 assists per outing in 34 appearances (including five starts). This marked the first time he didn’t average at least 10 points per contest since his second year in the league (2010-11).
On the flip side of the narrative, this move reunites Teague with Mike Budenholzer, who he played for during his first stint with the Atlanta Hawks. Additionally, Teague has played in 71 playoff games, including 60 starts. This includes stints wit the Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Another upside for the Bucks is that Teague is shooting the long ball at an efficient clip. He has a career conversion rate of 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. And he is shooting 46.4 percent from the 3-point line, albeit on a limited 1.6 attempts per contest. This attribute fits in well for a Bucks offense built on spacing.
No, adding Teague to the mix won’t necessarily make us forget about the Nets or the Sixers. However, it is an important first step to close the gap for a Bucks team that flamed out in the playoffs last season.