There may still be no substance to the Paul Millsap trade rumors, but the talk has heated up to the point where Mike Budenholzer felt the need to have a conversation with his power forward.

The Hawks coach met with Millsap on Tuesday, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I can’t tell you (what was said) but we sat down and talked,” Millsap said Wednesday. “Our main focus is winning games right now. The focus is on basketball.

“We talked holistically, big picture, basketball, typical conversation that Bud and I may have. We spoke. It was (important) for us to sit down and talk to each other, especially with everything that is circulating out there. Get back to what you have to do to focus on basketball.”

With the Hawks (18-16) scuffling around the .500 mark all season, there has been recent talk that the club is willing to talk to other teams about many players on their roster. But it is the three-time All-Star Millsap, scheduled to become a free agent next summer, who has drawn the most attention. Toronto, Oklahoma City, Denver and the L.A. Lakers have been a few of the clubs said to be interested in Millsap.

When asked by Vivlamore if he thought a trade was immiment, Millsap replied: “I’m not sure,” he said. “Not a clue.”