Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know veteran point guard Jeff Teague

Jeff Teague’s winding road that now leads him to the Milwaukee Bucks

In the 2016 offseason, Teague was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team deal.

Joining his hometown Pacers did well for Teague as he resumed his solid production as Indiana’s lead guard by averaging 15.3 points on .442/.357/.867 shooting, 7.8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.2 steals across 82 appearances. However, the Pacers’ 2016-17 run was saddled in mediocrity and turmoil surrounding the fate of Paul George, who would see his time with the Pacers come to an end in a blockbuster trade that offseason.

Re-entering free agency, Teague landed a three-year, $57 million contract to join the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were fresh off acquiring star wing Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls.

Playing under head coach Tom Thibodeau, Teague and the Timberwolves broke the team’s 14-year playoff drought in their 2017-18 campaign, though they had a quick exit by falling to the top-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

For as promising as Teague’s time started in Minnesota, it all proved to be short-lived. Butler requested a trade in the 2018 offseason going into a contract year and his trade demand echoed and seeped into the start of their 2018-19 season. The turmoil that was brought about by Butler’s disenchantment led to him getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. That turmoil eventually brought down Thibodeau later in that year.

It was also a year to forget for Teague as he was limited to just 42 appearances as injuries cut his season short and his personal streak of playoff appearances was dashed by the Timberwolves finishing 36-46 that year.

Teague’s role with the Timberwolves gradually diminished midway through the 2019-20 campaign and as Minnesota fell towards the bottom of the standings yet again, Teague’s time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes soon came to an end. Teague returned back to the Atlanta Hawks as he, along with Treveon Graham, were dealt for Allen Crabbe in January of 2020.

Atlanta brought in a familiar face in Teague to spell star guard Trae Young, but Teague’s reunion with the Hawks was cut short by the season suspension as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Teague found a suitor in the Celtics during last offseason where he signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal. However, Teague didn’t find much success with the Celtics, mirroring the team’s overall inconsistency this season. The Indianapolis native’s time in Boston came to an end on the day of the deadline and after logging 34 appearances.