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Jeff Teague is no longer a member of the Atlanta Hawks, and that is one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA. With that said, it is now official.
The Hawks announced on Thursday that the three-team trade that sent Teague to the Indiana Pacers, George Hill to the Utah Jazz and the number 12 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft (Taurean Prince) to Atlanta is now official. More in-depth thoughts on the trade and what it means for Atlanta's point guard situation moving forward with Dennis Schroder at the helm can be found here, but the first domino in the 2016 offseason for the Hawks (completed, in theory, before the NBA Draft) is in the books.
Within the release, Mike Budenholzer had this to say about Jeff Teague:
"I would like to thank Jeff for his seven years with the organization, and our three years together. 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."
This move also paves the way for Prince to join the organization officially, and that will presumably include a trip to Las Vegas as part of Atlanta's roster for the 2016 NBA Summer League. Hawks GM Wes Wilcox had the following to say about the acquisition:
"Taurean has many of the qualities that we value in our program…we are excited to add his competitiveness, toughness, versatility, and desire to improve."
More official announcements, including that of Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore and Malcolm Delaney should be on the docket in the coming hours and days. Stay tuned.