The Dallas Mavericks recently traded veteran small forward and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons. On July 6, 2024, Dallas traded Hardaway Jr. — and three future second-round draft picks — to Detroit in exchange for shooting guard Quentin Grimes.
Hardaway Jr., 32, made two three-point shots to pass his father Tim Hardaway Sr. for 44th place on the NBA’s all-time list on December 18, 2023, and set a Mavericks franchise record for most three-point shots made in an NBA Finals game with five in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Here are more details about the Hardaway trade to the Pistons.
Mavericks Trade Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit Pistons
The Dallas Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round draft picks to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes on Saturday, July 6. Grimes scored seven points, two rebounds, and 1.3 assists while achieving a 37.2% field goal percentage in the 2023-24 NBA season.
The Mavericks’ trade of Hardaway Jr. was reportedly mutual, as Tim Hardaway Sr. contributed to the Mavericks trade buzz surrounding his son. Hardaway Sr. anticipated the Mavericks’ Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics could’ve been his son’s last game in Dallas. And, turns out, Hardaway Sr. was right after years of speculation, as Hardaway Jr. reportedly disliked his demotion during the 2023-24 NBA season and then questioned his future with the Mavericks.
How Tim Hardaway Jr. Can Help Detroit Pistons
Tim Hardaway Jr. is now a shooting guard and a small forward for the Detroit Pistons. Hardaway Jr. can help the Pistons in more ways than one. The Hardaway Jr. trade leveraged the Pistons’ salary cap space and allowed them to bring in his guaranteed salary of $16.2 million, while Hardaway Jr. can provide veteran advice to a young roster. The 32-year-old played college basketball at Michigan and helped the Wolverines to the 2013 NCAA championship game.
But, despite his reported disappointment, Hardaway Jr. said his goodbye to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks brought him as part of a Kristaps Porzingis trade in the 2018-19 NBA season.
Hardaway Jr. wrote in a social media post, “To Dallas, THANK YOU for helping me become not just a better ball player, but helping me mature even more as a person! The city and organization embraced my family and I with open arms and even though things didn’t end the way I wanted them too, I am forever grateful.”
Hardaway Jr. shined on-and-off in his five-year tenure with the Mavericks but was most recently demoted to the Mavericks’ bench this past season.
Mavericks Should be Alright Without Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Dallas Mavericks should be right without Tim Hardaway Jr., who was demoted to the Mavericks’ bench this past season. Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.4 points in 79 regular-season games in 2023-24. He spent most of the 2023-24 NBA season as the Mavericks’ sixth man off the bench.
Hardaway Jr. and his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., were reportedly unhappy with the Mavericks’ benching of the former, but everything happens for a reason. He arguably needed to step up in the 2024 NBA playoffs, especially the 2024 Western Conference Final. It could be argued that he was used sparingly by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, but at the same time, he attempted zero shots in Game 1 and missed his lone three-pointer in Game 2.
The Mavericks should be able part of the $12.9 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception. Previously, Dallas was limited to a $5.2 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception with Hardaway Jr. in the books.
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