Reports: Hawks trade PG Jeff Teague for No. 12 pick in 2016 draft
The Atlanta Hawks traded starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team trade that included the Utah Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
In return, the Hawks received the No. 12 overall pick in the 2016 draft from the Jazz. The Pacers completed the trade by sending veteran point guard George Hill to Utah. The reported trade will not become official until July.
The No. 12 pick gives Atlanta two first-round selections, along with the 21st overall selection, as it starts to add younger pieces around an aging core that faces major free agency decisions with starters Al Horford and Kent Bazemore. The two selections also gives the franchise trade chips heading into draft night, as Mark Stein pointed out.
With Teague heading to Indiana, the Hawks are turning over the offense's reins to 22-year-old Dennis Schroder, a move that was considered a near-certainty this offseason. Schroder, an explosive playmaker off the dribble who was drafted 17th overall in the 2013 draft, averaged 11 points and 4.4 assists per game last season, but his erratic decision-making will need to improve as he presumably takes over the starting role in Mike Budenholzer's offense.
Still, following a postseason in which the coaching staff leaned heavily on Schroder late in multiple key games, the franchise was clearly ready to turn the page on the Teague era, especially before he hits free agency next summer. (Earlier this month, the Hawks were reportedly involved in a deal that would have sent Teague to Philadelphia for 76ers big man Nerlens Noel.)
Teague, 28, helped the Hawks reach the playoffs in each of his seven seasons in Atlanta — five of them as a starter. In three seasons under Budenholzer, the Indianapolis native averaged 16 points and 6.5 assists per game and he's coming off the best 3-point shooting season of his career at 40 percent. He'll provide an immediate offensive upgrade for a Pacers team featuring superstar wing Paul George and promising young big Myles Turner.
Teague is owed $8 million for the 2016-17 season; the Pacers are expected to pursue a contract extension.
