NBA Free Agency: Could George Hill make a return to Indiana?

It’s been nearly 24 hours since the start of the free agency period and so far, the Indiana Pacers have yet to add any players to their roster — rather seeing the departures of both Jeff Teague and Paul George. Teague signed a three-year, $57 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Pacers team president Kevin Pritchard traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis just before free agency was set to kick off Friday night.

While the Pacers have been dealt a significant blow with the losses of Teague and George, they may have a chance at bringing in a familiar face. George Hill has reportedly garnered interest from a few teams around the NBA, one of the teams being the Pacers.

As the article states, the Utah Jazz have an interest in bringing Hill back, but that both the Pacers and Denver Nuggets are “a little more further along” in terms of acquiring Hill.

Hill was a member of the Pacers for five seasons through 2011-2016, averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists while shooting roughly 45% from the field through 319 total games in Indiana. The Pacers traded Hill last summer in a three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks and the Jazz — acquiring Teague in the deal.

Hill’s departure hurt the Pacers defensively last season. Indiana boasted the eighth-best defense in the NBA in 2015-16, but dropped down to No. 14 the following year. With Hill under center at point guard in 2016, the Jazz ranked in as the No. 1 defense in the league last season — holding opponents to just 97 points per-contest. While these are just small examples of Hill’s defensive impact for teams, the Pacers undoubtably missed his presence.

Not much else has leaked regarding the traction of talks between Pritchard and Hill’s camp, but it may be a good sign for fans that wish to see Hill be reunited with the blue and gold in 2017.