Just days away from the start of the 2021-2022 NBA season, it’s worth reflecting on the player that arguably played the most pivotal role in the Milwaukee Bucks becoming NBA champions last season – Jeff Teague.
Why Teague, you ask? The story began on July 10th, 2013. That’s the day the Bucks made their first pass at acquiring the point guard from the Atlanta Hawks.
At the time, Jeff Teague was a restricted free agent who would eventually sign a four-year offer sheet worth $32 million with Milwaukee. This decision was a clear indication of the team’s intent to move on from Brandon Jennings, who was a restricted free agent in his own right.
Teague made his intentions of leaving Atlanta abundantly clear, citing his desire to reunite with then Milwaukee head coach Larry Drew. The Hawks had just three days to match – which they eventually would, forcing Milwaukee to pivot and explore other options. The Bucks plan A of acquiring Teague had failed, thus leaving the team’s future full of uncertainty.
Understandably so, Jennings was upset the team pursued another point guard and was now being viewed as the fallback option. Jennings felt as though he deserved much better after averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 assists the year before.
Several weeks later, Milwaukee would sign Jennings to a three-year deal worth $24 million and ship him off to Detroit in a sign and trade for the likes of Brandon Knight, lesser-known forward Khris Middleton, and Viacheslav Kravtsov. This trade, coupled with the departures of players such as Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, and Mike Dunleavy, put the Bucks into full rebuild mode. Milwaukee’s only remaining holdovers after included Larry Sanders, John Henson, Ersan Ilyasova, Ekpe Udoh, and Ish Smith.
Side Note: the Bucks would also draft relative unknown Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2013 draft.
Why Jeff Teague was valuable for the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2021 title run
So now you’re probably wondering how exactly a nonacquisition of Teague in 2013 makes him the Bucks’ most valuable player during the title run.
The answer is simple, had the Bucks been able to land the player they coveted back in 2013, they never would have gotten Middleton. Middleton quickly became a cornerstone piece of the puzzle and has since made two All-Star game appearances (2019, 2020). And as we all know, Middleton is equally as responsible for the franchise’s success as Antetokounmpo. The two players put in the time and took the Milwaukee Bucks from the league’s rock bottom to NBA champions in 2021.
However, things would eventually come full circle as they often do. Jeff Teague did have success in Atlanta and would even make an All-Star appearance in 2014. He’d then bounce around from Atlanta to Indiana, Minnesota, Atlanta again, Boston, Orlando, and then finally to the place he wanted to play in 2013 – Milwaukee (albeit without Larry Drew). Still, Teague would join a different former coach of his with Mike Budenholzer, stating that his connection with the former Coach of the Year played a big factor in the decision to sign with the Bucks.
During the Bucks’ title run, Teague would appear in 16 games while averaging two points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. So, while it may not have been his on-court performance that directly led the Bucks to become NBA champions, had it not been for the Bucks pursuing him in 2013, they would never have landed the likes of Middleton, who this team certainly couldn’t have won the title without.
Jeff Teague, the city of Milwaukee and Wisconsinites everywhere, thank you.