According to the AJC's Jeff Denberg, even with the recent improvement in the Hawks' performance, general manager Pete Babcock continues to pursue deals in advance of the Feb. 20 trade deadline.

Babcock is looking for defensive toughness and point guard help, but he defends incumbent Jason Terry as a player "who has improved and is doing a good job."

There apparently is a place for Terry in the Hawks' future, provided the team and the player can agree on a suitable contract when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Terry went into Tuesday's game ranked sixth in the NBA in assists (7.4) and free throw shooting (.872). He was 17th in steals (1.68) and 36th in scoring (18.7).

Babcock noted that Terry's numbers have consistently improved this season. "We're a team that has committed a lot of turnovers, but those turnovers have come from our forwards, not our point guard. Jason has kept his turnovers at [3.2] a game," Babcock noted, which gives him an acceptable margin of better than 2-to-1.

The Hawks are talking and find an increasing number of teams that are leery of the luxury tax and want to take back less money than they give out in a trade. This makes dealing difficult, especially for a team like the Hawks, since their most attractive players carry high salaries.