The Denver Nuggets didn’t have the cap space to give Tim Hardaway Jr. a raise in free agency, so the Miami Heat swooped in with a one-year deal worth $6.5 million for the sharpshooter. The Heat just traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and need to put shooting around him. Nuggets fans quickly found out what others have known for years. THJ is a streaky shooter that struggles on defense. His minutes declined in the playoffs, and it is thankfully no longer Denver’s problem on how to manage his playing time.
Hardaway Jr. has some serious playoff warts. Over 54 career games, he averages 9.6 points on 37.9 percent shooting from the field and 33.0 percent on his threes. Even playing off Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Cade Cunningham, THJ has struggled to make shots and stay on the floor. Denver had a negative-3.0 net rating with him in the 2026 playoffs.
Having Hardaway Jr. as an upside flier is enticing on the minimum. He had 17 20-point games this season and can stretch the floor. The 6’5 wing is a gunner. He won’t stop even when he’s missing, and his porous defense can be a problem. THJ helps his team win in the regular season, but the opposition is quick to exploit his weaknesses in the postseason. Luckily, the Nuggets no longer have to worry about it.
Nuggets should thank the Heat for stealing Tim Hardaway Jr.
Denver was only bringing back Hardaway Jr. on the minimum. They are trying to figure out how to upgrade their roster around Nikola Jokic and couldn’t waste valuable resources on a player who disappears in the playoffs. Fans have heard the Jaylen Brown rumors. The Nuggets are trying to create room to bring back Peyton Watson and need to put more talent around the Joker.
Losing Hardaway Jr. was addition by subtraction. The Nuggets were outscored by 18 points in his 89 minutes over the final four games of their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves. In THJ’s career, his teams have been outscored by 125 points over 1261 playoff minutes. If the goal is to win a championship, Hardaway Jr. is not a solution when the games matter most.
The Heat have limited flexibility after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Signing the 34-year-old wing to a $6.5 million contract only restricts things further. Miami needs shooting, but this does little to solve that in the biggest moments.
The Heat will be THJ’s fourth team in four years. Contenders are not just letting talent walk away. Hardaway Jr. is a microwave scorer that never stops shooting. It can result in a 30-point game or a disastrous six points on 15 shots. Nuggets fans quickly learned the THJ experience, and now it is the Heat’s problem. It is certainly not the signing to make with limited flexibility and a need for consistent shooting.
The Denver Nuggets no longer have to worry about what they are going to get from Tim Hardaway Jr. moving forward. He agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Heat. The Nuggets are thanking Miami for making the Giannis trade. It limited their flexibility and created a need for wing shooting. The Heat quickly landed THJ, and the Nuggets dodged bringing him back on a minimum deal in the process. Consider it a win for Denver.
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