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The Utah Jazz worked out over 100 prospects in the two months leading to the NBA draft. At the pre-draft combine in Chicago, they held countless meetings and devoted a seemingly never-ending amount of time to determine who would be the right fit when they picked No. 12 overall.

A phone call on Wednesday nixed all of that.

Yes, trading for Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill and surrendering their first-round selection took more effort from general manager Dennis Lindsey than one phone call. But that's almost how fast it took for the Jazz to essentially punt on Thursday's draft and go the veteran route.

Nobody should be surprised at what the Jazz accomplished this week. Lindsey has been transparent of his desire to acquire veteran help to supplement the bulk of his young roster.

What he has now in Hill is one of the better role players in the NBA. Hill, Lindsey and Quin Snyder have known each other since their San Antonio Spurs days. Hill and Gordon Hayward have been friendly for years, the product of both hailing from the Indianapolis area.

The acquisition checks a number of boxes. It gives the Jazz a solid starting point guard, something they've been searching for since the departure of Deron Williams five years ago. Hill is 6-foot-3, has an excellent wingspan, is a 40 percent shooter from 3-point land and is one of the best defenders at his position in the league.

Hill doesn't need the ball to be effective, which fits well with Hayward and Rodney Hood, both of whom are playmaking wing players who can create offense on their own. And most importantly, Lindsey was able to add Hill without surrendering a rotation player in the trade.

"We want serious players, two-way players, guys who can shoot the ball, and certainly experience is something that we're looking at," Lindsey said.

How Hill changes Dante Exum's role won't be known and until the 2016-2017 regular season starts. Exum has been at full strength for the past month, fulfilling his rehabilitation following surgery for a torn ACL last summer. But the front office has long thought about acquiring a veteran to take the pressure off Exum's return.

Exum is still the future of the franchise at point guard. Hill is entering the final year of his contract and even if he decides to stay long-term, he's the kind of selfless player to mentor Exum whenever Exum is ready to regain the starting role.

Until then, Hill projects as Utah's starting point guard — and if needed, Hill and Exum can play together pretty easily. They both are big for their position, both are good defenders and passers, and both can defend more than one spot. So the chemistry between the two — on paper — shouldn't be an issue.

Trading for Hill was a move Lindsey had to make. The Jazz didn't make the postseason for the fourth consecutive season because of injuries and depth; too much of the former, too little of the latter. Hill coming to Utah increases the talent and the depth on the roster. It's also the kind of "win now" move that sends a positive message to Hayward and Derrick Favors.

So the front office was fine with sitting the draft out until making three of the final eight picks in the second round. Weber State star Joel Bolomboy is the only one of the three picks — North Carolina's Marcus Paige and California's Tyrone Wallace were the others — with seemingly a solid chance of making the opening night roster.

"We were a little surprised," Lindsey said at getting Bolomboy at No. 52. "We had problems narrowing it down. This was a unique draft. The fact that Joel was there at 52, we weren't totally surprised. But we sure are glad he was there."

Now the real work begins.

After the trade for Hill, followed by drafting Wallace and Paige, Utah has seven point guards on the roster — and that doesn't include Olivier Hanlan, another guard who was drafted in the 2015 second round and whom league sources tell The Tribune will be on the Jazz's summer league roster. Lindsey on Friday said the Jazz won't have that many point guards on the opening night roster.

That means there are moves to make. Utah is working on a way to trade Trey Burke. Lindsey must make a decision on Shelvin Mack, whose contract becomes fully guaranteed on July 7. Veteran power forward Trevor Booker becomes an unrestricted free agent on Friday. The Jazz must make decisions on reserves Chris Johnson and Jeff Withey, both of whom played key roles last season.

The Jazz made their first big move of the offseason by trading for Hill. But that is only the first move. There are more to be made to make the roster puzzle fit for a playoff push.

Twitter: @tjonessltrib —

Jazz week in review

• Utah trades the No. 12 pick in Thursday's NBA draft in a three-team deal in which the Jazz get Pacers point guard George Hill.

• The Hawks, with the pick that was the property of the Jazz, select Taurean Prince from Baylor.

• Utah ends draft night with seven point guards on its roster.

• The Jazz select three four-year players in the second round, including Weber State power forward Joel Bolomboy.