The Hawks’ trade of Jeff Teague was made official on Thursday with the announcement of the three-team deal that returns the draft rights to Taurean Prince.
Teague was sent to the Pacers and the Jazz received George Hill from the Pacers in the deal that was finalized with the end of the NBA moratorium period. Prince, out of Baylor, was selected by the Jazz took with the No. 12 overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft after the parameters of a trade had been agreed upon by the three teams.
“Taurean has many of the qualities that we value in our program,” Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox said in a statement. “We are excited to add his competitiveness, toughness, versatility, and desire to improve. We would also like to thank Coach Scott Drew and Baylor Basketball for their help throughout the scouting process. Taurean is eager to get started and we look forward to beginning his development with our coaches and athletic performance team.”
Prince, a 6-foot-8 forward, played four seasons at Baylor. He averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 34 games as a senior and was named First Team All-Big 12. He joins the Hawks in time to compete in the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins Friday.
In trading Teague, the Hawks parted ways with their starting point guard and key member of the team since he was drafted in 2009.
Teague appeared in 518 regular-season and 62 postseason games with the Hawks in his seven seasons. He averaged 12.1 points, 5.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals during his tenure, which included an All-Star Game selection in 2015.
“I would like to thank Jeff for his seven years with the organization, and our three years together,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement. “Jeff developed into a key contributor and played an integral role in the team’s recent success. We wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”
Teague, 28, returns home to Indianapolis, where he went to Pike High School before attending Wake Forest.
“With Jeff, we think he brings something we haven’t had in a true point guard,” Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird said in a statement. “We think he fits in with what we’re trying to do. He has speed, the ability to create for others and he can score. We look forward to working with him.”
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