Tim Hardaway Jr. spent one season with the Denver Nuggets after signing a veteran's minimum contract that he outplayed. As a result, he got a raise in free agency, signing a one-year, $6 million deal with the Heat.
The Nuggets couldn't match it because they didn't have his Bird rights, which would've allowed them to offer more, but he hadn't been with the team for three seasons. Already strapped financially, they watched him walk after he averaged 13.5 points on a career-best 40.7 percent shooting from three.
He's looked like a different player to start the season in Miami, averaging just 5.8 points on 26.5 percent shooting from deep. When Hardaway's shots aren't falling, his defensive deficiencies become more evident.
As a result, Erik Spoelstra benched THJ after he played seven minutes in the first half of the Heat's overtime win over the Clippers on Wednesday. He finished with zero points on 0-for-2 shooting from three. In Thursday's loss to the Warriors, he shot 0-for-3 from deep in four minutes, the fourth time this season he's failed to make at least one three.
Tim Hardaway Jr. doesn't look like he did with the Nuggets
If Denver had a feasible way to keep Hardaway, it probably would've happened. The Nuggets are averaging 31.9 three-point attempts per game this season, the third-worst mark in the NBA. Last season, he averaged 6.9 threes per game.
His rough start in Miami could stem from trying to fit into a roster that is meshing several new pieces together. The Heat's spacing has been one of their biggest issues, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are still figuring out how to share the floor, which has cast an even harsher light on THJ's shooting. It doesn't help that they also have one of the worst defenses in the league.
So far, it's been somewhat of a recipe for disaster for Hardaway, whose value comes from the attention that he draws on the perimeter.
He's been in the league long enough to know how to work his way out of shooting slumps, but the pressure he's under in Miami because of the Antetokounmpo trade can't be helping. The Heat are 3-6, and while there is still plenty of basketball left, a big gap remains between where they are and where their top competition in the East is.
When Denver signed Hardaway in 2025, they hoped his shooting off the bench would prove valuable in another championship run. He held up his end of the bargain in the regular season, averaging 26.6 minutes over 80 games and helping keep the Nuggets going through their injury woes, though his efficiency dipped in the playoffs. Still, it was tough to see him go.
Hopefully, he can find his footing in Miami, but right now, the Nuggets have no reason to regret not shedding salary to keep him in Denver.
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