Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves Eyeing Chicago Bulls Guard Marquis Teague in Trade; NBA Trade Rumors and News

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz are reportedly interested to trade for Chicago Bulls second-year point guard Marquis Teague, a league insider disclosed on Tuesday.

Teague, who is drafted 29th overall by the Bulls after one season with the Kentucky Wildcats, has suddenly become the hottest trade targets of several teams as of late following his excellent performance in the Summer League.  

Marquis, the brother of Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, averaged 18.3 points and 4.8 assists per game during the Las Vegas Summer League. Though the 3.5 turnovers per game is a bit high for a point guard, the former Wildcat nevertheless showed that he can hold his ground against NBA-level pressure.

According to KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, a league source told him that the Jazz and the T-Wolves are looking to acquire the young floor general in a trade.

The Jazz deeply needed a solid point guard after Trey Burke sustained a fractured bone in his finger which would sideline him for 3 to 6 weeks. Meanwhile, the T-Wolves are trying to add more depth to their point guard rotation behind passing wunderkind Ricky Rubio.

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau admitted he didn't like the way the team's second unit played in the Bulls' exhibition game against the Washington Wizards in Brazil. Marquis played terribly in that game, going 2-for-5 from the field with 4 turnovers. 

"I thought we had some misguided one-on-one situations where the ball should've been moving," the Bulls coach said according to the Chicago Tribune. "Then defensively, it's five guys tied together. You don't want to beat yourself."

So far, neither team confirmed their interest in Marquis, but the situation should be watched closely as the 2013-14 NBA season draws near. With the Bulls' roster seemed all stacked up from top to bottom, it would be interesting what assets the team would demand in exchange for a high-risk, high-reward youngster like Marquis.

The Bulls, despite the possible departure of Teague, will still have a gritty point guard in Mike James to provide leadership and much-needed toughness to the team.

"I still love the training. I still love the competition," James said in an interview with the Tribune. "The older you get, the first thing that goes is your preparation. You don't want to do it no more in the summertime. I'm still doing dribbling drills in the summertime. I'm still getting my thousands of jump shots up. And I'm still playing against these young guys, and they haven't showed me that I'm washed up. They still give me confidence and motivation in the summer. I can still play this game at a really high level."