Jeff Teague to Pacers in 3-Team Trade Involving George Hill

The Atlanta Hawks shook things up in a big way, as they agreed to trade guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team deal that also sent guard George Hill from Indiana to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz announced the trade Thursday.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to report the deal on June 22, which also includes Taurean Prince, the 12th overall selection in the NBA draft, being sent from Utah to Atlanta.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirmed Teague was traded to the Pacers, but he has yet to corroborate Utah's involvement.

Per Wojnarowski, the Pacers have plans in place to sign Teague to a contract extension once the deal is official.

Teague, 28, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Hawks. He averaged 15.7 points and 5.9 assists last season, helping the Hawks to the conference semifinals. He has played in a Spurs-like system under coach Mike Budenholzer, and there has always been a Tony Parker-ish element to his game in that his effect went a bit beyond counting stats.

Still, the writing had been on the wall. Chris Mannix of The Vertical reported in January the Hawks were willing to discuss Teague with teams. Nothing ever came of those deals around the deadline, but it was increasingly apparent Teague wasn't untouchable.

Dennis Schroder has made clear strides every year since being taken in the first round in 2013, setting career highs across the board in 2015-16. The lightning-quick German averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 assists, and he's emerged as a potential shutdown defensive option.

Point guard is the NBA's deepest position, but Indiana was among a handful of teams that needed a long-term spark at the position.

The draw for suitors has centered on Teague's contract. With one year and $8 million remaining, it's massively below market.

Teams in this uncertain cap climate are aggressive in attempting to poach friendly contracts, and the Pacers came hard after Teague.

A bit enigmatic to start his career, Teague has settled down. He looked at home in Budenholzer's motion-heavy offense, and Indiana could cater its scheme similarly as it builds.

Indiana is on the hook for one more year at a good price, but Teague is going to be a hot commodity if he returns to the open market.

Having Teague around at $8 million per season makes you look like a genius. Once that price doubles or even reaches $20 million a year—as it well could—things get dicier. Teague is probably somewhere between the 15th- to 20th-best point guard in the league; that's a steep price for an average starter.

Indiana lacked a true ball distributor last season, as Monta Ellis led the team with 4.7 assists per game. Teague's arrival will give the Pacers a reliable ball-handler in the backcourt, and it will take much of the burden off Ellis in that regard.

Paul George is Indiana's unquestioned superstar, but Teague is a quality complementary piece for a team that was just one win away from upsetting the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs.

Teague already has 62 games of postseason experience to his credit in just seven NBA seasons, and that should be invaluable to the Pacers.

Teague seemingly stagnated in Atlanta after being named an All-Star in 2014-15, but with new surroundings and a talented supporting cast, the Wake Forest alumnus has a golden opportunity to return to that level in 2016-17.

Contract numbers via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.