As the Mavericks search for roster upgrades, it seems likely they will use Tim Hardaway Jr.’s contract in a trade.
The Dallas Mavericks made it to the 2024 NBA Finals, a destination that very few people thought they would reach. They shouldn’t settle for what they have, though. They can still get better this offseason and should be aggressive in their pursuit.
The Mavericks are in good shape going forward with Luka Doncic, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber and Josh Green all under contract for the next two seasons at least. Kyrie Irving has one more year left before having a player option. But Dallas should still look to get better. One major asset they can use is Tim Hardaway Jr. and his expiring contract worth $16 million for next season.
In the latest episode of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective, Tim MacMahon said that Hardaway is likely to be used as a trade chip, along with draft picks, in a deal that will upgrade Dallas’ roster.
MacMahon said the following: “Come draft night, they will have two first-round picks and then a couple of swaps. Let’s just call it like it is, they’ve been trying to trade Tim Hardaway Jr. since the ink was dry on that deal. Well, now, it’s an expiring contract and it might actually have some value in the trade market…I mean, Josh Green might have some appeal around the league. I’d say Maxi’s pretty deeply rooted into the franchise.”
Windhorst noted that combining the contracts of Hardaway and Kleber gives the Mavs an amount of salary they could use to add a star-level player.
The Mavericks making the Finals should serve as motivation to be aggressive in making moves, not complacent because they had already won the conference. The Western Conference is still very good and could get better. The Mavs have to keep their foot on the gas and take advantage of the core they have right now.
Mavericks could trade Tim Hardaway Jr. as contract expires
Since the Mavericks are over the cap, they will have to rely on exceptions and trades to upgrade their roster. They have some trade exceptions worth $4.9 million and $4 million, respectively, on top of the $5.1 million mid-level exception, per CapSheets.com. Unless they strike great luck with a cheap signing, they probably won’t be adding any majorly notable talent through those avenues.
Hardaway finished ninth in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award, continuing his high-shooting-volume ways. He would fit decently on many teams as a floor spacer but his value in a trade would come mostly from his expiring contract. Of course, Dallas would have to include other assets in a trade.
The Mavericks don’t have a ton of assets to trade but they do have Green, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, an extra second-round pick in 2025 (their own and one belonging to the Toronto Raptors) and Lively, though they probably aren’t keen on trading him unless it’s for a bug upgrade. They can also offer swaps on their first-rounders in 2025 and 2026.