George Hill Reportedly Included in 3-Team Deal Sending Rodney Hood to Cavaliers

The Sacramento Kings reached an agreement Thursday to trade point guard George Hill to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team deal that will also send Rodney Hood to Cleveland.  

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported full details of the deal, which will see the Cavs send Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz will send Joe Johnson to the Sacramento Kings.

Hill's stay in Sacramento lasted just 43 games after he signed a three-year, $57 million contract with the organization as a free agent in July.

The 31-year-old Indianapolis native averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 45.3 percent from three-point range during his stay with the Kings.

In December, Hill, who has played with the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz, said he was struggling to find a niche within a rebuilding squad:

"I think on every team I've been with, we've had that cohesiveness and a lot of veterans that played multiple years in the league, so it was easy to kind of fill in. I feel like here we're so young it's kind of difficult to figure out what's going to be my direction, what's going to be my style of play, what's this guy's role or my role. We're still trying to learn those things."

Although that caused his numbers to drop in Sacramento, he's only one year removed from one of the best seasons of his career.

Hill averaged a personal-best 16.9 points to go with 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game in 49 appearances for Utah.

He also finished last season eighth in the league in defensive win shares, per NBA.com.

Hill will attempt to get back to that level as he transitions from one of the NBA's worst teams to a championship contender. His defense will be particularly welcomed in Cleveland, which ranks 29th in defensive efficiency, according to ESPN.com.

He should see playing time at both guard spots as part of a backcourt rotation that will look completely different following the deadline. He'll need to establish himself as an impact contributor during the season's second half to earn consistent run come playoff time, though.