“I just wanna get paid” — Jeff Teague’s sole interest highlighted money indeed mattered more to him. So it’s no surprise that amid such major developments in the  2024 NBA free agency, Teague’s focal point of concern turned out to be a 21-year-old player from the LA Lakers. Notably, Max Christie recently re-signed a 4 year, $32 million deal with the franchise. There is no doubt that players’ salaries in the league have significantly increased over the years. And amid such circumstances, Teague wonders if he was born in the wrong era.

The discussion emerged on an episode of the Club 520 podcast, but before diving into the discussion, it is important to highlight that Teague averaged 14.2 points, and 7.2 assists per game in season 2012-13 with the Atlanta Hawks. Subsequently, the Milwaukee Bucks offered him a four-year, $32 million offer. The Hawks, however, retained him by matching the Bucks’ offer. Teague’s concern, as clear on the podcast, is that he got this deal after averaging 14 points. Meanwhile, Christie has barely played in the league yet and still got a similar deal.

Although it’s not as if the NBA champ is jealous of Christie. In fact, he believes the league is in a great place presently. “Ten years too early… I should have been born in 1996,” he added. As reported by ESPN first, the Lakers are re-signing Christie for four years and $32 million, confirmed by team sources. The deal includes the 21-year-old’s fourth as a player option.

The speculations are that Lakers wanted to prioritize retaining Max Christie, who is younger than even some 2024 drafted players. The Lakers head coach JJ Redick reportedly desires to use Max as a rotation mainstay in season 2024-25. However, Teague’s primary concern is not the future potential of the 23-year-old but the fact how easy it has become for players in the league to make money, which, as stated earlier, is of prime importance for the NBA champ.

The time Jeff Teague prioritized money over championship rings

The ex-Hawks star through his NBA career earned close to $99.2 million. While fans and the franchise want their stars to prioritize winning in all circumstances, Teague had a different opinion. During an episode of Club 520 podcast, he himself posed the question of choosing between a championship or a max contract.

As the bunch seemed to agree with the max contract, Teague instantly agreed and stated he hates when people talk about this like they just want to win. “No, I just wanna get paid… I wanna lose so I get the max. I would be on a losing team and average 20 and get a max deal than like ‘F** man, they need to trade me, I’m tryna win.’ F* all that s*t. Get Paid,” he added.

Lucky for Teague, he already managed to claim an NBA championship to his name with the Milwaukee Bucks. But one may wonder how other players who played alongside Teague would feel to learn that winning was not a priority for their one teammate.

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