Tim Hardaway Jr's time with the Dallas Mavericks is coming to an end, with the 32-year-old shooter falling out of the team's Playoff rotation and sitting on the roster on a $16.2 million expiring contract. His father, Tim Hardaway Sr., confirmed that the Mavs are trying to ship his son out of the franchise in a now-deleted comment on Instagram.
"Yes, they are. And we want to have a new opportunity to shine. We didn't like what happened. We are ready to go."
Reputed NBA insider Marc Stein has also confirmed that the Mavericks are scouring the market to find a trade partner for Hardaway.
"League sources say that the Mavericks will promptly resume their long-running search for a trade partner to take Hardaway on, which is more likely than ever to come to fruition with the 32-year-old now entering the final season of his current contract and with his salary declining from $17.9 million in 2023-24 to $16.2 million in 2024-25."
This can't be a surprise to Mavs fans, who have seen Hardaway Jr. struggle with accommodating himself on the roster this season. He was not happy about becoming the team's sixth man after the acquisition of Kyrie Irving but he locked in on that role.
It worked well until February, as Hardaway Jr. averaged 16.8 points and 3.6 rebounds through the first 56 games of the year.
After the Mavs trade deadline led to the team refocusing on defense as their identity, Hardaway started falling out of the rotation as his numbers got worse. THJ averaged 8.6 points on 35.9% from the field from February until the end of the regular season.
He barely played in the Playoffs outside of garbage time, averaging 4.4 points on 12.7 minutes per game and receiving DNPs in eight games. His father has been excessively critical of Luka Doncic in recent months, with it becoming clear that the legend has wanted his son to get away from the high-usage style of play employed by Doncic.
What Can The Mavericks Do With Tim Hardaway Jr?
The Mavericks have multiple options they can explore when it comes to offloading Hardaway Jr. The first avenue they'll go down is swapping Hardaway for a player on a smaller contract, which would open up the Mavs' non-tax mid-level exception, which would assist them with the re-signing of Derrick Jones Jr.
If the Mavericks want to trade Tim for a straight-up upgrade, they'll likely have to package him with some other players as the team looks to upgrade the wing position. They've been linked to Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers most recently, but the team has also explored deals for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, with both deals likely requiring Hardaway's expiring $16.2 million contract.
Hardaway Jr. joined the Mavericks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019, becoming a settled figure in the franchise over the years. His departure would mark the end of an era for the franchise, but it's an era known for its mismanagement of stars and assets until the 23-24 season put them back on track.
