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Dallas Mavericks: How Tim Hardaway Jr fits in the long-term plans

By Reid Hanson

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards is fouled by Tim Hardaway Jr. #11 of the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 06, 2019 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards is fouled by Tim Hardaway Jr. #11 of the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 06, 2019 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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What kind of role can we expect from Tim Hardaway Jr with the Dallas Mavericks over the next couple seasons…

When the Dallas Mavericks made the blockbuster trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to North Texas, they were required to take on Tim Hardaway Jr and his onerous contract as well. Wanting to be major players in the free agent market this summer, New York deeply desired clearing cap space.

Joining Hardaway and Prozingis in the over to Dallas was Courtney Lee and Trey Burke. With Lee is under contract for one more season and Burke only locked in through the end of this season, Hardaway is easily the most difficult to digest contract.

According to Sportec.com, Hardaway is essentially under contract for the next two seasons (player option for 2020-21 that he will most assuredly pick up). And at over $18 million in each of the seasons, Hardaway is the currently the most expensive player the Mavs currently have under contract.

Typically, you’d like your highest paid player to be the team’s best player. Unfortunately that’s not always the case and in the case here with Hardaway and the Mavs, he’s not even the 3rd best.  Luca Doncic, Kristaps, and even Jalen Brunson look like better players than Hardaway. And when/if J.J. Barea returns, he’ll probably be better as well.

It’s not as if Hardaway is a poor player, he’s just a ridiculously overpaid player. If he was making $2 million per season, fans would probably have a much different view of him.

One thing is quite clear though, Tim Hardaway is here in Dallas and he’s likely here to stay through the completion of his deal. Because no one else in the NBA is going to want to take that contract on either. That means it’s up to the Dallas Mavericks to carve out a role for Hardaway – a role in which he can succeed.

So what kind of role should Hardaway be in?

Ideally, Hardaway would be the primary scorer on the second unit. Much will depend on what the Mavs do in free agency and/or the draft (they still may be able to keep their top pick), but as of now it looks like Brunson and Hardaway could be a decent duo off the bench.

His decision-making is questionable at best. Instead of reading and reacting to the situation unfolding in front of him he appears to be forcing his pre-planned will upon the situation, ready or not. While this strategy may work for dominant offensive players, it’s not a very good quality in a non-superstar player.

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All-too-often Hardaway forces a pass to place it shouldn’t go when better options are available elsewhere. And all-too-often he forces a shot when it’s clearly not the best option on the play. It’s as if he decided what he’s going to do before the play even starts. While this isn’t optimal on any unit, it’s downright disastrous on the first team.

The Dallas Mavericks need to give Luka and Kristaps the ball as often as possible and can’t afford someone like Tim Hardaway taking the opportunities away.

On the second team he can work without the ball since either Brunson of Barea will be leading it. He’ll also be one of the top-2 outside shooting options on that second unit regardless of what happens this summer. That way if he steals possessions he won’t be stealing them from the Mavs main men.

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Tim Hardaway Jr. has undeniable flaws, the biggest of which is his contract. But if we ignore the money (something neither him nor the team can do anything about at this point) and if we focus on getting him in the best position to succeed, he can easily be a useful tool on a contending Dallas Mavericks team.

  • Published on 03/21/2019 at 13:00 PM
  • Last updated at 03/20/2019 at 13:50 PM
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