Free agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Miami Heat, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Tuesday.
Hardaway’s new deal will use up $6.5 million of the Heat’s mid-level exception, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. This could take them out of the LeBron James sweepstakes, barring another move or two, if the 42-year-old doesn’t want to play for less than $5 million, which is all the Heat can offer (unless it’s a sign-and-trade).
Hardaway has been linked to the Heat for quite some time. He was a priority free agent for them heading into the offseason, and was one of my favorite free agent options available to the Heat after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Hardaway, 35, was outstanding with the Denver Nuggets last season. He averaged 13.5 points on 40.7 percent from 3-point range, finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He will be entering his age-35 season, which is worth mentioning. But he is still a quality (albeit streaky) 3-point shooter — both on spot-up and movement attempts — at this stage of his career.
We’ll see if the 13-year veteran will be able to continue his torrid play from last year, despite his disappointing postseason run.
Miami still has more work to do. They have enough to cover up for Hardaway’s defense (or lack thereof), but they still need extra shooting and shot creation, as well as more size in the frontcourt behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
***
This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates!
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Check out Hot Hot Hoops on Facebook here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
Welcome Tim to Miami.
On the flip side, I think Lebron may end up with the Cavs.
1. Best to retire at home with the Cavs.
2. Lebron would like to be a part owner of an NBA team. Cavs may offer that option.
3. Too many egos in Miami.
I watched a lot of Hardaway in Dallas years ago. He can be such frustrating player.
Either is off or on. You need another shooter to replace him if he is off.
Fontecchio and the rookie. Maybe Uncan if he gets waived. Mitchell is gonna need to kick it up a notch. Take more shots.
maybe not uncan,defense is 1/2 the game.comeon lebron ben simmons now uncan .dav needs to take more shots yes
Hardaway is a below average defender too. Why do you think Dallas let him go?
I hope Butler is feeling those Jaylen Brown blues, being dangled out there while LeBron makes up his mind. Warriors have to know so that can begin negotiations with the Wizards and dump you over there. It’s nice to be somewhere that you’re wanted, right Jimmy?
Yup. He was laying it on pretty thick saying how much he loved the bay area, the people, yada, yada, yada. Preemptive begging.
boston doing their due diligence trying to improve team.ditto gsw.the only player who is untradeable is jokic cuz hes da best player.you dont think pat would trade greek for joker?jalens gotta realize greeks better player celts were looking to improve.just take look bank acct jalen stfu u spoiled athlete.be happy to be a multi multi millionaire.somebody wants to trade me for sm i understand that,me for rc id be pissed
Don’t worry, we can’t be traded for each other – you’re not in the same league as me. I’d have to be demoted first.
Brown is another money over jewelry player. Greed (owners and players) is a plague on the NBA and pro sports in general. May the best team money can buy win.
Here are the full odds for the top 10 landing spots this free agency period for James, a four-time champion, Finals MVP and league MVP:
Golden State Warriors: -250Cleveland Cavaliers: +170Miami Heat: +800San Antonio Spurs: +3000Detroit Pistons: +3000Dallas Mavericks: +3000Milwaukee Bucks: +4000Brooklyn Nets: +4000Washington Wizards: +5000Philadelphia 76ers: +5000
So you’re telling me there’s a chance? Maybe the Heat should keep 2 spots open until James decides where he’s going (one for LeBron and one for Bronny). At this point, its not the money, its the ring(s) and the development of Bronny. Plus James taking less might encourage Giannis to give the Heat a price break on his extension in order to recruit and retain the best supporting cast.
Theoretical Roster
Mitchell, Wiggins, James, Giannis, Bam
Smith, Hardaway, Larsson, Fontecchio, Portis
Garland, Conwell, Bronny, Jovic, Goldin
P.S. James has indicated his decision may take a couple of days to a couple of weeks. If Miami believes it has a legit chance to sign him, they should keep 2 slots open.
The Warriors told him they want a commitment before they try to trade for AD. He’s not the type of person that is just winging these decisions. No doubt he’s thought about this, so waiting weeks would be ridiculous and leave himself with less chances to allow the team he signs with to build properly. Same as it ever was
All part of a wild wild life.
I wish he would stop dragging my heart around.
stevie nix reference .not big fleetwood mac guy.top 30 band maybe.the bam adebayo of bands
Stevie and Petty version was best.
Beware of psycho killer.
Especially if he speaks French.
I happen to know what the French lyrics to Psycho Killer are (not just qu’est-ce que c’est, which means “what is this”),
as I learned a version of that song on guitar and I once sang it karaoke. There is a verse in French where the translation is something like…
What I did that night,
What you saw that night,
All my dreams fulfilled,
Onward to glory…
I, yi yi, yi yi, yi yiiii!
any contender he goes to makes them fav to win it all.hes more like magic now.makes everybody better.hes goes to gsw they would be favs.comes here we would be favs.hes still a major needle mover.lakers are now a playin team
heat for life
10 hours ago
Reply to Zac
lebron at his age his status little lazy especially on d go play with steph goat
Wow! I’d try to kick a field goal, but that goalpost is moving at an unprecedented rate.
he did same sht down here but when it mattered the most he guarded/hes still a top 15 player
I’m a big fan and would love it if he signed here, even if that’s unlikely. I think the Heat may hold off filling the last couple of spots until they’re sure.
combo of holiday middleton lopez would be fine with me.i cant see the goat coming here it didnt end good with pat,above 3 have had relationship with greek.i believe if we got middleton and holiday were clear favs in east.jrue would start over dav middletons similar to derozan a bucket getter.mt lopez a space eater lets portis play the 4.
I don’t know why you keep repeating the same false narrative.
Jackson and Chang of the Miami Herald reported the relationship between the Heat and James “is now strong,” noting that the star has “embraced” Pat Riley when they’ve seen each other and that his agent Rich Paul has “spoken in glowing terms about the Heat.”
I would also add him adding Holiday. Jrue? How would we be able to trade for him? No chance.
Roses are red violets are blue I’m schizophrenic and so am I.
He’s like Giannis. They both like wallowing in the attention. He’ll milk it as long as he can. I hope Heat don’t lose a good signing opportunity or two waiting for him to ultimately pick Cavs or Dubs. Riley should ask his agent if Miami is being seriously considered. If not Heat should on.
dont wait for him it will piss middleton holiday off.im calling portland asap theyve got crowded bc up there.they could be a pretty good team if ja stays away from the bloods and cripps in portland if they even have them up there
They do but they are much more mellow.
D Wade gets almost $10 per year from 76ers.
Huh?
dean not dewayne unless he came out of retirement
Another good move. We are one move away, from being ready to contend. It might be Beal, unless it’s Powell somehow.
Or Beal and Middleton.
it wont be norm dont have $$ for him.need a ring chaser old vet.norm still in prime until 60 games then he drops off
Getting ugly in Boston with the market for Brown being light after they asked for four 1sts and players. Lmao
send him here for bam and fonzi id do that in a boston heartbeat
we need greeks ex teammates who first hand saw how great he was to give us a discount.no other way to get a decent player
Smart probably to Houston. I like that for both parties
Kennard to Suns. I’m okay with that one. Not a big fan and he would play a similar role to Simone.
53 48 last year career 44% career on 3s,one of the two three best shooters in nba.please dont compare him to simone not close 2q.now of course that defense is another issue
He gets played to start the season and by the end he plays less and less. It’s been happening often with him the last few seasons. Check the tape.
hes a vanilla one wayer but an excellent shooter next to steph prob second best shooter
marlins looking good
The game they are playing is 8-1 right now. Likely to go six over .500, 20-6 in June, best month in history of Marlins.
Conine coming back from injury with a power swing might be just what the Dr ordered.
gotta send marsee to minors hes really slumping put sanoja in center
against righties theyre deadly against lefties our right handed batters not that good
Damn! Lakers going to sign Grimes and Mamu. Oof. Was hoping for a Grimes signing. I like Mamu but out of our range. No word yet on how much.
Just saw that. Oh well, onwards and upwards.
whos mamu sounds like a killer whale
Sandro Mamukelashvili. Dang you making me type that name. He’s a very good backup center.
i call him milli vanilli
crazy looking guy from toronto.yeah he shoots lots 3.wild looking dude
We got the kid
Just a thought. I would be interested in seeing the Heat sign Ben Simmons as a back-up PG and/or as a point forward at vet minimum (only after he has passed both physical and psychological exams). He could be a wild card if he is healthy and has his head together. He is what can be called low risk/high reward.
Simmons was a three-time NBA All-Star and the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year. He averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his career and was a two-time All-Defensive performer.
Simmons is the same size as Jovic 6’10” 240 lbs. If nothing else, they can beat the crap out of each other fighting for playing time and hopefully, one of them surfaces as a solid rotation player. They each have something they can learn from each other.
Best case scenario, he becomes a solid rotation player. Worst case scenario, he crashes and burns and is released.
I would do it and give him a shot, he would help with D, size, rebounding, and facilitating.
We just going to throw out the last 5-6 years? The guy has been unplayable since 2020. He’s had back problems. Mental health problems. This isn’t 2015. Stay far away…
He’s had back surgery and allegedly is better. That’s exactly why he needs both full physical and psychological exams. Only if he passes both should the Heat consider signing him on a vet minimum contract.
Ofcourse I didn’t forget, but pickings are slim. So provided he passes both exams like Sunman said, then I would give him a shot on a 1 year vet min deal as a last resort. If we dont get yabu, hayes, or any other adequate option. Plus next season we could look for better options, since he would be a year rental.
I still say I’d make him point (backup) center.He can defend, rebound, pass, and score at the basket, but can’t shoot from distance. And he has the size.
when guys retire or havent played in a while when they come back usually it doesnt go well.the goat of womens tennis example 1.phillip rivers.
Michael Jordan.
last two years not jordanesque.good try ill give u that but please no ben simmons.guy had ss potential 4 sure but wasnt dedicated to his craft.sort of like ware so far..
I would risk that.
Another nail in the coffin of the LeBron story. Guess while it felt obvious there was no chance, the story seemed to be everywhere.
Wonder who was reporting the supposed interest…can’t imagine the team really checked in on it.
Now only chance would be moving Niko, who at $16m, won’t he be easy to move.
Also if Hardaway Jr is 6m, think we can write off Simons, Brown, Oubre, and others for minimum. Gonna be bargain shopping once the supply of cap dries up.
Lebron’s team been saying nice things about the Heat. He said he just wants to be happy and not about money. action speaks louder than words, so feel free to sign for vet minimum, Bron. 😉
No way Simons agrees to the minimum, but do think we need a younger SG option, not just Pelle.
I still think Niko can be in the frontcourt rotation if not traded.
Billionaire Bron ego is too high to sign for the minimum, especially now since jock and Timmy signed for a higher deal. I like the signing btw, but just wish it was on the minimum. A young sg option would be Keon ellis, another option is pat Spencer, or look for growth from the Gardner. Lastly niko has a lot to prove, so he better get with the program, and turn his 3pt shot back around, improve his rebs, playmaking, shotmaking because this is his last chance.
Ellis to Nets.
Dang looking scarce out there.
At $9 per year. Ouch. No way Simons takes less. Grimes is maybe the same with player option year 2, though probably looking for $10-12 minimum.
I for one will be absolutely shocked is LeBron agrees to anything less than a full MLE.
Most of the players I’d want are more aged vets, but I think they’ll almost all get more $ than minimum. I’d love to fill out the squad with Ourbe or Brown and Hayes at Center. But I feel like that’s a pipe dream
For what some of these guys are signing for, most seems like a pipe dream. lol At this rate we better hope Beal will take a minimum. We can rotate him and Hardaway until someone gets hurt. 😛
That’s what I was hoping for too.
That’s a very good signing. Still have a couple to go . It would be great if a couple of summer league players turn out to be keepers. I was sorry to see Johnson was not re-signed. He looked like a potential late (very late) bloomer to me.
We took care of shooter (Simone) and vet guy who could start (Hardaway). We still need a starting SG and would be nice to get some sort of a big. Landale got $14 for one season, so who knows who could be a legit option.
Why not start Pelle or Hardaway? Go with what you have until/ unless someone better comes along.
Maybe the rookie will turn out more rotation ready than we think or Gardner settles down and plays up to his potential. Time will tell.
There’s still the Jovic question.
Pelle started a lot last season, so it’s definitely an option. I don’t think it would be good to start Hardaway all season. We want to make sure he’s still alive come playoffs.
I think we would feel better if we got a Grimes or Simons to start or come off the bench. More scoring options is a good problem, but yeah, let’s see how this unfolds.
If we don’t get that sg, then I see either pelle or Jr getting the nod. Also to a lesser extent maybe jovic can be sg if he gets his head out his ass, or even myron if his 3 becomes reliable. At this point yabusele would possibly be the best we could hope for as another big who could shoot the 3 adequately, and possibly had for cheap. If not then probably Ben Simmons, hayes, or rely on vlad .
Posting again.
Hardaway in the boat. We called that one early. For $6.5. I knew he would not get the minimum after hitting 40% of his 3s