Dating back to the 2021 NBA offseason, the Dallas Mavericks had a choice to make: Re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr., who at the time was arguably their 2nd best offensive player, or let him walk in free agency. Each choice would lead to another difficult decision to be made, either immediately or in the future before the new contract would expire. Flash forward to January 2023, and Hardaway Jr. is in the midst of his 2nd season on the 4-year, $75 million contract that he signed in the summer of 2021. The Mavericks are 23-18 at the mid-point of the regular season while being positioned 4th in the Western Conference standings. Tim Hardaway Jr. has had extreme highs and lows. The highs include a 5-game stretch in late November-early December where he averaged 24.4 points per game on 54.5% 3-point shooting and roughly 52% overall from the floor. But outside of that stretch, it has been an inconsistent offensive display and further regression on the defensive side of the ball. Hardaway Jr. is currently having his worst shooting season in his career with an overall field goal percentage of 38.4%.
There are plenty of arguments to be made on whether the Mavericks should be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Let’s dive into the reasons they should and should not look to trade away Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Case For
The Mavericks are in a situation where they lack cap space as currently constructed until the 2024-2025 offseason, and don’t possess many avenues for roster improvement outside of trades and internal improvement. Trading away Hardaway Jr. would give the Mavericks a pathway to unleash improving rookie, Jaden Hardy, with an increased role and the opportunity for internal improvement to progress for next season and-on. Hardy has recently carved a larger role in the rotation, playing an average of 21 minutes per game in the past 3 games while averaging 13 points on 56% shooting. Giving Hardy a larger role for the remainder of this season would position him to make a major leap in year 2.
Another reason to trade Hardaway Jr. would be to accumulate younger talent or draft compensation needed to take a big swing on a trade for a 2nd star to play alongside Luka Dončić. It seems unlikely that Hardaway would provide a 1st round pick in return, but one or two 2nd round picks along with a young player with upside could be an avenue to align more talent on this roster with the timeline of Dončić.
Hardaway’s contract (more on this later) is very tradeable, where each year the annual salary deescalates. There should be multiple trade suitors around the league who are looking for a veteran scoring presence off of their bench. Recent reports from Cleveland Cavaliers insider Chris Fedor on the Please Don’t Aggregate This podcast brought to light the Cavaliers’ interest in acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. before this season’s trade deadline. This, along with many other trade rumors to come during trade season, will be something to follow closely.
The Case Against
As many arguments as there may be to trade Hardaway, there are just as many arguments against it as well. Hardaway is the Mavericks’ 4th leading scorer, and one of very few options outside of Dončić that has the ability to create their own shot. In terms of maximizing the team’s ability to compete in the playoffs this season alone, keeping Hardaway on the roster might prove to be a key to remaining competitive. With a top 5 talent like Dončić, you have to remain conscious on what trading Hardaway without a win-now piece in return from the same trade or subsequent moves would signal to Luka.
As tradeable as Hardaway’s contract might be, there is still question on what you could get in return without attaching a young player like Hardy or Josh Green or draft compensation. Though Hardaway has been inconsistent, you never want to trade an asset for cents-on-the-dollar when your team is short on assets as it stands. According to Spotrac, he is only due roughly $17.9 million next season and roughly $16.2 million in 2024-2025, the final year of his current contract. In a league that has an increasing salary cap year-after-year, and new NBA television deals in the near future projected to increase the salary cap significantly, this type of contract will be more and more valuable for a player of Hardaway’s caliber as time goes on.
There is also the issue of the impending decision that the Mavericks and Christian Wood must make in-season on Wood’s future with the organization. Wood is eligible for a contract extension, and it remains to be seen if they come to an agreement for the trade deadline or if they will look to trade Wood. If Wood were to be traded, then Hardaway could be included in a deal to acquire a higher-salaried player in return. However, trading away 2 of your top 4 scorers would be unwise unless you received something major in return.
At this juncture, the Mavericks are competing for a top 4 seed in the Western Conference and should have a boost in depth when 2 of their best defenders, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Green, return. They have a real shot to remain competitive this season, but their ceiling is clearly limited with the current roster construction. Even if Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn’t end up being traded this season, it seems implausible for Dallas to stand pat at the deadline. They’re stuck in the in-between tier of competitive but not championship contender. The final decision of keeping Hardaway on this roster post-trade deadline should signal what the front office believes this team is capable of accomplishing this season.