Insider: Will Jeff Teague and C.J. Miles depart as free agents?

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers could lose Jeff Teague and C. J. Miles during free agency as the franchise begins a critical offseason after being swept in the first round.

Teague will be an unrestricted free agent, while Miles can become a free agent if he opts out of the final year of his contract, as expected. The uncertain long-term future of star forward Paul George is the biggest worry for the franchise moving forward, but at least George is under contract for next season. Teague and Miles could leave this summer, without the Pacers getting anything in return for two-fifths of Sunday’s starting lineup.

• DOYEL: A year closer to losing George

• FINALE: Pacers disappointed with game, season

Don’t assume that Teague, a native of Indianapolis, will stay just because he is home and happy with the Pacers. It only takes one team that needs a point guard to make an offer that Teague feels he can’t refuse. And if the Pacers use a large portion of their salary cap to lock up George long term, it could impact how much money the team will commit to other players, including Teague.

Asked about his future following Sunday’s 106-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Teague reaffirmed that he enjoyed being with the Pacers, but admitted his immediate future remained uncertain.

“I love Indiana man,” Teague said. “You all know me, born and raised, tattoos on my arm. I’ve been wanting to play with the Pacers my whole life. It’s a great opportunity for me to be here and I love it.

“I have no clue, I’ve never been a free agent, I don’t know how it goes. I love it here, but you never know, how they feel about me or whatever. I love being in Indiana, it’s great, got a home here. But you never know.”

Asked if he wanted to go through the process of free agency to test his market value, Teague said, “I guess I have to. I’m unrestricted. I have no choice.

“I just know when I first got here, they said they wanted me here, not just for a year. I took that to heart. I guess we’ll see.”

Teague will be 29 in June, and he could find another starting job elsewhere. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.8 assists this season while never missing a game. Durability has been one of Teague’s strengths. He has played at least 79 games in four of the past five seasons, making him attractive to teams looking for a dependable veteran.

Miles also will find interest on the open market as a versatile 30-year-old veteran who can play both small forward and shooting guard. After Monta Ellis was ineffective as the starting shooting guard in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, Pacers coach Nate McMillan started Miles in Games 3 and 4. Miles is due to make $4.77 million next season, but if he opts out, he will almost surely make more whether he re-signs or leaves.

“I haven’t made a decision yet, but I’ll sit down with my agent in the next couple of days,” Miles said in the locker room. "If it does happen (opting out), it’s not solely because I’m trying to get out of here. It’s a business decision. The market, salary cap, everything is going up. It’s not like I’m 22. I’m nowhere near done, but you don’t want to waste anything. I’ve got friends asking me about it, family. It’s almost like college recruiting again. What are you going to do?”

Miles said he had no complaint about his utility role with the Pacers.

“I’m a guy who will do whatever I’m asked to do for my team,” said Miles. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always like everything. But if my coach, my team, needs me to do something, I’m going to do it with a smile on my face, and I’m going to do it the best that I can. Because I want to win. If I have to mold my game and change it every couple of nights, or I get a month at guard, then a month at forward, it is what it is. I want to play. I want to compete. I want to help my team win games. I think I was able to do it successfully most of the time this year. I take it as a compliment that they feel I can plug holes like that.”

If Teague and Miles depart, it will leave the Pacers with more holes to fill after a disappointing season. An interesting offseason awaits.

“I think it could be,” Miles said. “I can’t speak for what they plan on doing, but you look at all the stuff, the rumors that happened throughout the season. We’ll see.”

Follow IndyStar writer Clifton Brown on Twitter: @CliftonGBrown