NBA

Knicks try their luck in trade talks on Hawks’ Jeff Teague

The Knicks and Hawks have conducted “very preliminary” trade talks concerning point guard Jeff Teague, league sources confirmed. However, a trade seems improbable.

The Knicks are one of several teams to contact Atlanta about the 27-year-old guard. Yahoo! Sports first reported the Hawks talking with multiple teams.

One source claimed there was “nothing to report at this stage” of the discussions between the Knicks and Hawks.

“It makes sense for the Knicks, but what do they have to offer?” one opposing executive said. “Teague is a good player under control for a low figure [$8 million] next year and then he’ll enter the richest free-agency period ever.”

One important question for the Hawks, who currently are seeded third in the East, is whether they are ready to hand over the team to 22-year-old, third-season guard Dennis Schroder, who recently sat two games as a DNP (did not play)- coach’s decision.


Here’s a shocker: Kristaps Porzingis will be in Toronto for All-Star Weekend as part of the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge game on Friday, Feb. 12. Porzingis will play for the 10-man World Team against the 10-man US Team in a competition featuring first- and second-year players that seemingly includes half the Minnesota Timberwolves roster.

Porzingis will team with the Nets’ Bojan Bogdanovic, plus Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota), Dwight Powell (Dallas), Clint Capela (Houston), Mario Hezonja (Orlando), Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver), Nikola Mirotic (Chicago) and Raul Neto (Utah).

Minnesota’s No. 1 overall pick, Karl-Anthony Towns, leads the US Team along with T-Wolves teammate Zach LaVine plus Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia), Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell (Lakers), Rodney Hood (Utah), Jabari Parker (Milwaukee), Elfrid Payton (Orlando) and Marcus Smart (Boston).

Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks already has been named a starter for the Feb. 14 All-Star Game. Reserves for the main game will be revealed Thursday.


Trivia: The Raptors are riding a nine-game win streak into Thursday’s game against the Knicks, seeking their first 10-game run in history. Only three other franchises never have won 10 in a row. Name them. Answer below.


The Knicks-Raptors game could be a war of attrition. Anthony, who sat Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder with a sore left knee, is “day-to-day” for the Knicks, and All-Star Kyle Lowry is listed as “questionable” with a sprained left wrist for the Raptors. X-rays were negative, but Lowry sat practice Wednesday.

“He’s a little sore, but we’ll see where he is tomorrow,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters Wednesday “There’s no breaks, nothing significant as far as this injury is concerned.”


Trivia answer: According to Elias Sports Bureau, the only NBA teams without a 10-game win streak in franchise history are: Toronto, Washington, Orlando and Indiana.

Since suffering their worst beating of the season on Jan. 4, a 122-100 loss to the Cavaliers, the Raptors have beaten nine teams by an average of 12.7 points. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 23.0 points, third-best in East, and tops in the East among non-All-Star starters.