Originally the 24th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Atlanta Hawks just two years later. After limited minutes in his first season with the Hawks, Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for the 2016-17 NBA season.

While the Hawks extended a qualifying offer to make the fourth-year guard a restricted free agent, the Knicks offered him a four-year, $71 million offer sheet. With 48 hours to match, Atlanta declined to match the offer as he returned to New York.

Allan Houston, who previously played for the team and is now the assistant general manager, is ‘excited' about their former draft pick's second stint according to Thomas Lipe of New York Post:

“I’m excited for [Hardaway],” Houston told The Post. “When you’re 20 years old and you’re coming into this environment, everybody has to grow and everybody has to mature. He’s developed all the way around and he’s prepared himself for this. So he’s prepared for it.”

Considering the circumstances, Houston shared what Hardaway Jr.'s mindset should be after signing a significant deal:

“The mindset I took is: you come in, you put your work in, you treat your whole being, your whole life, like you want to make the most out of it,” Houston said. “You want to be valuable, not in terms of money, but you want to be valuable to your family, your community, to the franchise. That’s where [Hardaway’s] mindset is.”

While anything can happen in the NBA, this is a rare instance of a team trading their draft pick only to sign him in free agency four years later. Although the Knicks traded for Jerian Grant at the 2015 NBA Draft, he was eventually moved the following season for Derrick Rose.

With Phil Jackson no longer the team's President, the new front office will still need to make some important decisions prior to the new season. As Carmelo Anthony is eyeing the Houston Rockets in order to join Chris Paul and James Harden, it will be interesting to see if they ultimately trade him.