After last year, the Nuggets badly needed 3-point shooting, and they did a great job of alleviating that issue by adding Tim Hardaway Jr. to a minimum contract in free agency this summer. But it turns out, the Mavericks helped pave the way for that deal to get done, as Hardaway revealed in an interview that JJ Barea and Jared Dudley were crucial factors in his decision to sign in Denver.
Hardaway was traded to the Mavericks at the deadline in 2019 and stuck with the team for six seasons, finally leaving to join the Pistons last season. During his time in Dallas, he was teammates with Barea, and Dudley was an assistant coach.
Now both are in Denver, and apparently, they were instrumental in bringing THJ as well. Barea was a Mavericks legend, playing with the team from 2006 to 2011 and then again from 2014 to 2020 before retiring to pursue coaching. The Nuggets signed him to be an assistant this offseason.
After a 14-year career as a player in the league, Dudley retired and immediately joined the Mavericks’ bench as an assistant coach. He worked his way up from 2021 to 2025 to a lead assistant before being hired away to fill that role for the Nuggets this offseason.
Nuggets’ revamped coaching staff a huge advantage
All of the focus was on the roster upgrade for the Nuggets this offseason, but the coaching changes should make a huge difference as well. Obviously, going from Michael Malone to David Adelman was a big shakeup, but adding guys like Dudley and Barea to the staff were very underrated moves as well.
Dudley was a highly sought-after name, and to be able to steal him away from a conference rival is massive. We’ve already seen some new schemes and philosophies, and Dudley should really help out on the defensive end, but it’s great that they’ve already made an impact with recruiting as well.
Hardaway won’t shift the balance of power in the league or anything like that, but he’s a very capable veteran player who has proven to be one of the best volume shooters in the league. Just last season, he started 77 games for the Pistons and shot 37% from three-point land on 6 attempts per game.
The Nuggets would have killed for that kind of volume and production last season, and to be able to lure him away from a starting spot on a playoff team is a huge get. In Denver, he’ll be a bench player, but he’ll add much-needed spacing, and there will surely be nights when he gets on a heater and closes games.
During one of his famous infernos this season, Nuggets fans should take a minute to thank the Mavericks for helping make this possible.