Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford (L) and Jeff Teague. (Photo : Getty Images)
Less than a year after their historic 60-win season in 2014-2015, the Atlanta Hawks are reportedly looking to change things up in their lineup and foremost of those in the trading block are its two All-Stars, Jeff Teague and Al Horford.
Atlanta is currently drifting in the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference with a 31-24 record as they failed to duplicate their previous magical season where they finished on top of the East with a 60-22 slate.
Because of that, ESPN reported the Hawks "are engaged in serious internal discussions ahead of the Feb. 18 trade deadline" regarding the "future direction" of the ball club, particularly the status of their "core players", which includes Teague, Horford, and shooting guard Kyle Korver.
It was also reported that, according to sources, the team's ownership and management "have conceded internally that unless Atlanta can recapture the magic of last season's run", this season's roster is just a "fringe contender".
Both Teague and Horford have attracted the interest of several teams, though, which makes dealing them before the deadline quite realistic at this time.
The 29-year-old Horford, who is a three-time NBA All-Star and is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time this July after nine years in Atlanta, has a lot of suitors at present. Foremost of these teams are said to be the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Orlando Magic.
Mass Live indicated that the Celtics' Danny Ainge is excited about the possibility of snagging Horford as he is the "4-man that would fit right into what Boston is trying to do".
He is in the final year of his current five-year, $60 million deal with the Hawks, which is set to earn him $12 million this season. Because of his high demand, Horford is likely to receive max level or near-max offers from interested squads.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Teague is still in his prime, but Atlanta is reportedly leaning on making backup point guard Dennis Schröder as their new starter for the future.
New York Daily News' Frank Isola tweeted that the Magic and Hawks are currently discussing a potential swap between Teague and shooting guard Victor Oladipo.
