The Dallas Mavericks are trying to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. NBA Insider Marc Stein reported as much on his Substack in a June 22 story.
“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.”
Hardaway has had an up-and-down tenure with the Mavericks since they acquired him from the New York Knicks in 2019. He thrived well enough for the Mavericks to give him an extension in 2021. However, since then
Hardaway hasn’t done much in the last two substantial Mavericks playoff runs, in 2022 and 2024. He didn’t play in 2022 because of an injury and only played 14 of the Mavericks’ 22 playoff games in 2024.
On June 24, Stein reported the latest on who the Mavericks have discussed trading Hardaway with.
Mavericks Have Discussed Tim Hardaway Jr. With Detroit
Stein reported via his X account that the Mavericks have discussed trading Hardaway with the Detroit Pistons.
“Detroit has emerged as a potential trade destination for Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr.,” Stein wrote.
He then explained who the Pistons and Mavericks have discussed as a return for Hardaway.
“A full potential trade construction has not yet emerged, but league sources say there have been scenarios discussed in which Quentin Grimes would land in Dallas,” Stein wrote.
The Pistons acquired Grimes from the Knicks during the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline for Bojan Bogdanovic. Grimes was born and raised in Houston, Texas, before coming into the NBA. He will make $4.3 million for the 2024-25 season. The Mavericks would save nearly $12 million on their payroll if they acquired him for Hardaway.
Grimes could be a rotation player for the Mavericks, or he could not. At least he would not be paid as much as Hardaway was to have inconsistent minutes.
Why the Mavericks Want to Trade Tim Hardaway Jr.
Stein explained why the Mavericks are motivated to get rid of Hardaway’s contract. It’s not just because of his lack of production knowing what the Mavericks have to pay him. It’s because they want to keep someone who proved to be more useful.
“Finding a new home for Hardaway is a key element of Dallas’ strategy to re-sign Derrick Jones Jr., whose return next season after excelling on a minimum contract this season was labeled by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison as ‘priority 1A and 1B’ for Dallas this offseason.”
The Mavericks relied on Jones more than they did on Hardaway during the 2023-24 season. That was even more apparent in the postseason. Jones appeared in every single playoff game the Mavericks played. In fact, he started every single playoff game he played for the Mavericks.
He also had his best overall playoff performance in Dallas. In 22 games, Jones averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, all of which were career-highs. He also shot 48.1% from the field and 36.9% from three.
His performance will garner him a bigger market this offseason. If the Mavericks trade Hardaway to open up cap room, that would be a sign of confidence that they believe Jones will stay.
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