The Indiana Pacers have an agreement in place for three-team deal with Atlanta and Utah in which they replace The Hometown Hero with another hometown product.
In the deal, first reported by The Verical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jeff Teague comes to Indy, George Hill goes to Utah, and Atlanta gets Utah’s first-round pick (12) in Thursday’s draft.
The deal won’t be completed in July — the beginning of a new fiscal year for the NBA.
Hill, the second-longest tenured Pacer behind Paul George, first became aware of the deal Wednesday in the middle of an offseason workout.
Utah General Manager Dennis Lindsay was the Spurs’ assistant GM during Hill’s time down in San Antonio (2008-11). In fact, I’m told Lindsay was “cheerleading” for the Spurs to draft Hill, as they did, with the 26th pick in the 2008 draft.
[Gregg Popovich on his special relationship with George Hill]
Teague, meanwhile, 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. He has spent his entire career — all seven years — with the team that selected him 19th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest.
Earlier this month, Teague shared in an Instagram post (which was deleted hours later) that he played all last season with a torn patella tendon in his knee.
He wrote: “They won’t tell y’all but I played with a tear in my patella the whole year and could barely jump or stop but it’s coo got that taken care #illbebackdunking #theywontsaythatpart”
First time in life I've never been able to hoop this long I'm getting frustrated
— Jeff Teague (@Teague0) June 9, 2016
Both Teague, an All-Star reserve in 2015, and Hill have one more year under contract, worth $8 million.
Indiana has plans to work on signing Teague to a contract extension, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2016
C.J. Miles, who was drafted by Utah in 2005 and played his first seven seasons there, shared why he thinks Hill will fit in just fine on the Jazz.
He can fit anywhere great guy on and off the floor and can flat out HOOP https://t.co/QgHzQYc8nu
— C.J. Miles (@masfresco) June 23, 2016