What they're saying ahead of 2024 NBA Draft: Tim Hardaway Jr. could be on the move

The Michigan Wolverines do not have any prospects in the 2024 NBA Draft cycle this time around, but one of the program’s own has been involved in some of the discourse in the leadup to the event. Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the subject of trade talks after his role disappeared en route to the Mav’s run to the NBA Finals.

Hardaway, who was a first-round pick of the New York Knicks in the 2013 NBA Draft, has spent the last five seasons in Dallas, playing in 736 regular season games and averaging 14.0 points per night. He started in all 107 games he played at Michigan, averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his career, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors in 2011, third-team All-Big Ten in 2012 and first-team All-Big Ten in 2013.

Hardaway’s name has come up in trade rumors as a potential salary dump for draft picks ahead of the event, and some think a return back to the state of Michigan could be in the cards with the Detroit Pistons.

Here’s what the basketball world is saying about the Michigan alum ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Michael Scotto, HoopsHype

The Dallas Mavericks are dangling the expiring $16.2 million contract of guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on the trade market, league sources told HoopsHype.

After appearing in 79 games and averaging 14.4 points off the bench, he became a non-factor in the playoffs, leading to frustration over his role and future with Dallas.

Cam Spencer shot 44 percent from beyond the arc and could potentially replace Hardaway’s floor spacing on offense for Dallas.

RealGM WireTap

The Detroit Pistons have emerged as a possible trade destination for Tim Hardaway Jr., according to Marc Stein. The Dallas Mavericks are motivated to trade Hardaway this offseason as they prioritize re-signing Derrick Jones Jr.

The Pistons are believed to be prioritizing asset accumulation under Trajan Langdon. Hardaway could also play a role in the Detroit rotation as a floor spacing wing. The Pistons ranked 26th in three-point shooting percentage last season.

The Mavericks re-signed Hardaway to a four-year, $72 million contract during his 2021 free agency as he was coming off a strong playoff run. Hardaway is entering the final season of his contract at $16.2 million, or 11.5 percent of the 24-25 salary cap. 

Austin Veazey, Dallas Basketball

The Washington Wizards are currently the favorites to land Hardaway Jr., listed at +225, followed closely by the Atlanta Hawks at +240 and the Detroit Pistons at +325. Those three teams seem to be the hottest rumor, as Washington’s Landry Shamet and Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic have been mentioned as trade targets for the Mavericks, while Detroit had a bunch of cap space that Dallas could send Hardaway into.

The other teams listed on Bovada are the Los Angeles Lakers (+700), Brooklyn Nets (+700), Portland Trail Blazers (+700), and the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith and Portland’s Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant have also been mentioned as possible trade targets for Dallas. The Lakers and Bucks are the big surprise teams there, as they don’t have any targets that have been mentioned with the Mavericks up to this point.

Ishaan Bhattacharya, Fadeaway World

The Mavericks have multiple options they can explore when it comes to offloading Hardaway Jr. The first avenue they’ll go down is swapping Hardaway for a player on a smaller contract, which would open up the Mavs’ non-tax mid-level exception, which would assist them with the re-signing of Derrick Jones Jr.

If the Mavericks want to trade Tim for a straight-up upgrade, they’ll likely have to package him with some other players as the team looks to upgrade the wing position. They’ve been linked to Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers most recently, but the team has also explored deals for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, with both deals likely requiring Hardaway’s expiring $16.2 million contract.

Ben Zajdel, Mavs Moneyball

This isn’t surprising, since the Mavericks have made Hardaway available for trade pretty much his entire tenure in Dallas. NBA insider Marc Stein reported the news recently, but again, this has been common knowledge for anyone following the Mavericks or the NBA in the past few years.

Hardaway is a great shooter, but he can be streaky. Lately it seems the dry stretches last much longer than the hot streaks. Add in the fact that he’s inconsistent on defense, especially off ball, and it’s easy to see why Dallas would a) want to move him and b) have trouble doing so.

But he’s in the last year of an extremely reasonable contract, just $16 million for the upcoming season. So there’s a chance the Mavericks finally find a suitable trade for Hardaway, one that brings a more dynamic player to Dallas and a situation more palatable to Hardaway (and his dad).

The 2024 NBA Draft tips off on Wednesday night with the first round taking place Wednesday and the second round on Thursday for the first time in the history of the event.