A three-way trade was agreed to today by the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, and Utah Jazz.
The trade details
The Atlanta Hawks are sending point guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers and receiving the 12th overall pick in tomorrow's NBA Draft from the Jazz.
The Indiana Pacers are sending George Hill to the Utah Jazz and receiving Jeff Teague from the Hawks.
The Utah Jazz are sending the 12th overall pick to the Hawks and receiving George Hill from the Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers seem to be getting the most out of this deal at first glance. Jeff Teague is one of the better defensive point guards in the NBA and he is expected to agree to an extension with the team. Teague will be teaming with one of the eastern conference's better players in Paul George.
One interesting note, is what happens with Ty Lawson? Jeff Teague should be the starter on the Pacers next season, so perhaps the Pacers let Lawson go or keep him on as the backup and use him the same way they did in the Toronto Raptors series this postseason.
Overall, the deal is a big win for the Pacers, who improve in almost every statistical category except rebounding by acquiring Teague over Hill.
The Utah Jazz
The Jazz are a guard-heavy team, and they just got even more guard heavy by acquiring Hill. Hill is also signed for two seasons, meaning the Jazz are likely to trade one of their other guards.
One such name is Trey Burke, whose name has surfaced in trade rumors before. The deal also likely confirms that the team views Dante Exum's position as a shot guard long term.
The Jazz have been in a long rebuild phase that's lasted for the last decade or so. Trading the twelve pick seems questionable, but if they believe George Hill can be a team leader and they get some decent assets from future trades of extra guards.
The Atlanta Hawks
This trade for the Hawks shows that they are now headed in a different direction. The team is now set to start point guard Dennis Schroder, giving him the reigns after playing second fiddle behind Jeff Teague for so long.
It has been reported that Jeff Teague did not want to play for the team, Al Horford could be leaving for another team in free agency (the three reported teams are the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic) and players like Paul Milsap may not want to re-sign after seeing others on the team leave.
According to ESPN, the pick that they received (number 12 overall) in tomorrow's draft is currently on the block. What the pick turns into ultimately will determine the fate of the Hawks portion of the trade. Whether they take a point guard to replace Teague, a power forward to replace Horford, or trade the pick will be something to watch over the coming days.