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NBA Trade Grades: Teague To Pacers, Hill To Jazz In 3-Team Deal

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Trade Grades
Feb 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) and Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (11) reach for a loose ball in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Indiana Pacers

If there were a “loser” in this deal, it’d be the Pacers, who punted on the final year ($8 million) of one of the league’s most underrated point guards in George Hill to bring in Teague, who is also on the final year ($8 million) of his contract.

While Teague fits more in line with the faster offense that the Pacers want to start utilizing, it also moves them further away from their defensive identity. Though Teague is not a bad defender, Hill was one of the best defenders for his position in the entire league.

Last season, the 28-year-old Teague averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 assists per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from three-point range. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Hill put up 12.1 points and 3.5 assists per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the floor and 40.8 percent shooting from three-point range.

Teague is a faster-paced point guard, a better distributor and the younger option, but Hill is the better defender and more efficient three-point shooter for his career. With the Pacers looking to extend Teague right away, it’s somewhat curious they made a move like this.

Indiana’s backcourt may now have a bit of a problem on both ends of the floor. Though Teague is a solid floor general, there’s only one ball to go around between him, Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey, not to mention the team’s superstar, Paul George.

Both Teague and Ellis are ball-dominant guards, and though Ellis’ aggression on the perimeter led to quite a few steals last season, that backcourt is now undersized on the defensive end. Will Indiana be able to get any stops between Teague, Ellis and a second-year center in Myles Turner?

This isn’t a terrible trade for the Pacers, but it’s not necessarily a great one either, especially if Teague leaves in free agency next summer…or worse, a costly extension locks him down for the tail-end of his prime.

Grade: C

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