Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. played his heart out during the 2021 playoffs, and head coach Rick Carlisle and the Mavs certainly noticed that.
On Monday after the Mavs' disappointing postseason exit, Hardaway expressed his desire to stay with the team. According to the veteran guard, his peers and basically everyone around him knows he wants to be in Dallas for the long-term.
Interestingly, Carlisle made it a point to emphasize THJ's future with the team, noting that they will do their best to keep him after showing he can be a legitimate second or third option behind Luka Doncic.
“Getting him signed is a priority,” the Mavs coach said of Hardaway Jr, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Now that is certainly a reassuring statement for Tim Hardaway Jr.
While there were initial doubts about his position and role with the team since coming as part of the trade package for Kristaps Porzingis in 2019, he has more than proven that he can be a reliable scorer be it as a starter or off the bench.
Hardaway Jr. is entering unrestricted free agency after finishing the four-year, $71 million deal he signed with the Knicks back in 2017. After his solid run in the playoffs, however, he has set himself up for another $18 million per year deal that could go as high as $20 million annually since he is expected to have a number of suitors.
By the looks of it though, Rick Carlisle and the Mavs are more than ready to pay him and keep him in Big D for the long run.
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