DHJ Quick Take: Tim Hardaway Jr. on Miami Heat’s Free Agency Radar
Tim Hardaway Jr. is among the free agents the Miami Heat are monitoring as the market opens Tuesday, per Dallas Hoops Journal sourcing. The veteran shooter fits Miami’s stated need for perimeter scoring around a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led core.
- What did Dallas Hoops Journal report? Tim Hardaway Jr. is among the free agents the Miami Heat are monitoring entering free agency.
- Why does Miami make sense? The Heat need shooting and wing depth after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and Hardaway has deep South Florida roots through his father.
- Why does it matter? A career-best shooting season raises Hardaway’s price, testing how far Miami’s limited flexibility can stretch.
- What’s next? Free agency opens Tuesday, June 30 at 5 p.m. CT.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is among the free agents the Miami Heat are monitoring as the market opens Tuesday, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal.
The veteran shooter is one of several names Miami is tracking as it looks to restock its rotation, with the front office prioritizing perimeter scoring and wing depth.
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s Production With the Denver Nuggets
Hardaway, 34, reaches the market as an unrestricted free agent after a one-year, minimum-salary season with the Denver Nuggets. He appeared in 80 games, nearly all as a reserve, and averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting a career-best 40.7% from 3-point range. The year earned him a third-place finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting and likely lifts his price above the minimum he settled for last summer.
The year earned him a third-place finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and he is likely to earn a multi-year deal in the taxpayer mid-level exception range, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal. That would top the minimum salary he played on in Denver, with the taxpayer exception projecting to start near $6.1 million for 2026-27 and a maximum length of two years.
Across 13 seasons with the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, and Nuggets, the 6-foot-5 wing has averaged 13.7 points and held up as a movable defender at either guard spot, a profile that holds value for contenders late in roster construction.
Miami Heat’s Roster Needs After the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
Miami reshaped its roster this month by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, a deal that thinned the wing rotation and left several openings to fill around the new core. The front office has zeroed in on shooting and veteran scoring as it retools, and Hardaway fits that brief.
There are South Florida ties as well. Hardaway attended Miami Palmetto High School, and his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., is a franchise cornerstone whose jersey hangs in the rafters at Kaseya Center.
Miami has limited room to maneuver after the Antetokounmpo deal, which raises the value of veteran shooters available near the minimum. Where Hardaway’s market settles over the opening days of free agency will shape how aggressively the Heat can build out their bench.
More NBA Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
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- Toronto Raptors ‘Seriously Engaged’ In Trade Talks For Los Angeles Clippers Star Kawhi Leonard
- Golden State Warriors Trying To Trade For Anthony Davis And Sign LeBron James
- Portland Trail Blazers Actively Pursuing Trade For Jaylen Brown, Could Pursue Anthony Davis
- Pistons Weighing Prospect Of Signing-And-Trading Jalen Duren To Celtics For Jaylen Brown
- Mitchell Robinson Unlikely To Return To New York Knicks
