Look what happens when Phil Jackson is gone for a couple hours.
ESPN’s Ian Begley reported on Wednesday afternoon that the New York Knicks and free-agent point guard Jeff Teague have a “mutual interest” in each other.
Teague spent last season with the Indiana Pacers after seven with the Atlanta Hawks. He’s developed into one of the better point guards in the league, averaging 15.3 points and a career-high 7.8 assists during the 2016-17 season in Indiana.
Leading up to the expiration of Teague’s contract, the Knicks and general manager Steve Mills had reached out to the Hawks to try and trade for Teague, but the sides were unable to reach an agreement.
With Jackson’s departure as team president on Wednesday morning and the triangle offense seemingly nearing its end in New York, Teague’s interest in the Knicks has emerged out of nothing.
Acquiring Teague would all but destroy any notion that free-agent point guard Derrick Rose would return to the Knicks. New York drafted 18-year-old French point guard Frank Ntilikina last Thursday with the eighth-overall pick, but will need some time to develop and acclimate to the NBA game.
Teague would provide a veteran option that is immediately ready to step in and lead a Knicks offense centered around Kristaps Porzingis.
