Report: Hill informed of trade to Jazz by voicemail

Larry Bird, a former three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and current team president of the Indiana Pacers, clearly didn't give much thought into informing one of his now former players that he had been traded.

The Pacers sent George Hill to the Utah Jazz earlier in the month in a three-team deal involving the Atlanta Hawks. Rather than hear the news directly from the horse's mouth, the 30-year-old point guard learned of the move following one of his workouts in a voicemail from Bird.

"We had to trade you to Utah," Bird said in the message, according to Vigilant Sports' Scott Agness.

Bird doesn't always go by the book with his personnel when it comes to revealing departures or firings. He handled former head coach Frank Vogel's dismissal in a similar fashion, although he was at least fortunate enough to get the former legend-turned-executive on the line to talk about possibly staying, rather than receive just a simple voicemail.

The deal with Utah and Atlanta was first reported on June 22, meaning it couldn't become official until weeks later. Some may question why Bird simply couldn't wait until Hill - who was born in Indianapolis - was available to talk about the move to Salt Lake City.

"It came as a surprise," Hill said. "Last time I checked, I was supposed to retire from Indiana. Very surprising, but I know this is a business and anything can happen. So, I'm not upset about it."