Teague, a Pike High School graduate, averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists (17th in the NBA), and 2.7 rebounds per game last season with the Hawks.
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With the Hawks looking to move point guard Dennis Schroder into a more visible role and Teague using Twitter after the season to imply he wouldn’t be back in Atlanta next season, the Hawks finally made the deal.
The first big trade occurred Wednesday in a three-way trade between the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers and Hawks. From a value standpoint, getting four years of a late lottery pick (the 12th pick) on a rookie contract for one year of Teague is a solid move.
Atlanta Hawks acquire the 12th overall 1st round 2016 pick. They likely overpaid to get this upgrade. Not only will the Hawks look to address that position in free agency, but they could utilize their second-round pick to develop a young player into an ideal rotation guy.
A bit enigmatic to start his career, Teague has settled down.
Wojnarowski tweeted that the Pacers have plans to negotiate a contract extension with Teague, who is in the final year of a four-year, $32 million contract he signed in 2013. He has shot similar percentages to Hill all his career and scored more points per game this past season. With one year and million remaining, it’s massively below market. The Jazz were on the cusp of making the postseason a year ago and now with Hill, they are continuing to get better. This trade will be a homecoming for Teague, who is from Indianapolis, and he should be a nice fit with the Pacers wanting to be more of an up-tempo team.
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In losing George Hill, the Pacers get worse on defense. Dante Exum is set to make his return from the ACL injury that sidelined him for all of last season. He was an Eastern Conference All-Star during the 2014-15 season.
