4 Mavericks Who Won't Be Back in 2024
By Jovan Alford
4. Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Mavericks appear ready to turn the page on the Hardaway Jr. era in Dallas as he barely saw playing time in the postseason.
The 32-year-old wing was a non-factor in the NBA Finals, playing 12 minutes per game and only scoring 3.8 points per game. Hardaway Jr. was solid in the regular season for Dallas, averaging 14.4 points per game on 40.2 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from deep.
However, it wasn’t enough for a guy, who made $17.8 million this season and is scheduled to make $16.1 million in 2024-25. The Mavericks will be better off trying to move off Hardaway Jr.’s contract to hopefully get a better and younger role player at a cheaper value.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon said on The Hoop Collective Podcast after the Mavs lost Game 5 on Monday that “they’ve been trying to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. since the ink was dry on that contract.”
Hardaway signed a four-year, $75 million contract extension with Dallas in 2021 and failed to live up to it. In his six seasons with the Mavs, the veteran small forward averaged 15.2 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent from deep.
Those numbers aren’t horrible, but when you have a team with Doncic and Irving, the window of opportunity is open and you must strike the iron while it's hot.
Therefore, we shouldn’t be shocked when GM Nico Harrison moves on from the 32-year-old, along with a couple of other players to add another piece to this roster.
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