NBA trade rumors have started to pick up, which means there’s plenty of lobbying through the media.
That ultimately could be the case with the latest report about the Atlanta Hawks, who reportedly could be destined for a busy trade deadline. Two prominent Hawks players, Al Horford and Jeff Teague, could be available, but it’s going to come at a price, according to The Vertical’s Chris Mannix.
“From everything I’ve been told in the last two or three days, Atlanta’s requests for both Al Horford and Jeff Teague have been borderline ridiculous,” Mannix said on CSN New England, per the network’s website. “The kind of things teams like Boston or Milwaukee or Denver simply won’t deal for the players they want.”
Of course, there’s still roughly a week until the Feb. 18Â NBA trade deadline, which means prices could come down. It’s also reasonable to expect this is one of those teams’ ways of getting the word out in the hopes that the prices drop in the coming days.
“Things like this tend to cool off, though,” Mannix continued, per CSNNE.com. “As we get close to the deadline  — when we get to the 17th, when we get to the 18th — that’s when the real horse trading begins. That’s when (Celtics president of basketball operations) Danny Ainge will know if Atlanta is really serious about trading Al Horford.”
The Celtics have been tied to the Hawks — specifically Horford and Teague — according to a report from Mannix last month.
Atlanta’s situation is one that’s going to be thoroughly monitored leading up to next Thursday. The Hawks lead the Southeast Division and entered the All-Star break as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, yet they’re still reportedly listening on everyone.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images
