The Hawks have made a $4,531,459 qualifying offer to Jeff Teague, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The team hasn't officially announced the move, but Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is also reporting the news (Twitter link). The offer was thoroughly expected, and it's largely a formality for a point guard who figures to be one of the most sought-after restricted free agents this summer.
Teague has shown steady improvement since Atlanta took him 19th overall in 2009. He averaged career highs in points (14.6) and assists (7.2) this past season while playing slightly fewer minutes per game than in 2011/12. Teague, who was originally in line for a qualifying offer of $3,469,568, met the starter criteria, which triggered a jump in his QO. Still, it's unlikely he'll take the offer, as he's expected to command a multiyear deal for much more.
The client of the ASM agency is one of many Hawks hitting free agency this summer. Only Al Horford, Louis Williams and John Jenkins are under guaranteed contracts for 2013/14 among the players currently on Atlanta's roster. Ivan Johnson is also eligible to receive a qualifying offer, for $1,202,744, but there's no word on whether the Hawks have decided to tender that to him.