The New York Knicks have made two player acquisitions this summer, two shooting guards at the price of $80 million — one of them is former Knickerbocker Tim Hardaway Jr., who is coming back to Madison Square Garden after a two-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks and rewarded with a four-year, $71 million sum that most fans and journalists have deemed a classic move coming from the Knicks organization.
Hardaway came off the New York bench as a spark plug jump-shooter that could catch fire at any time, but was ultimately traded to the Hawks in the offseason of 2015, developing as a player and ultimately becoming a reliable 14.5 points-per-game scorer.
While boasting no other particular skills other than a decent-at-best three-point shot at a 35.7 percent in 5.3 attempts per game last season — his output as a mere role player has been dubbed as yet another overpaid player in the Knicks roster — this time under the head of President Steve Mills, who pulled the trigger on the deal.
But Hardaway feels fully deserving of the sum, claiming he's a much different player than the version he offered during his first two seasons in the league — giving a message to those who still doubt his worth.
“I would tell ’em they’re getting a different ballplayer than what they saw previous years,” Hardaway told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “I definitely grew as a ballplayer, grew as a man on and off the floor. … I just want them to know that they’re gonna get the best of Tim Hardaway Jr. 24/7, 365 days of the year, and they won’t regret it.”
Asked again if he is worth the lucrative contract he was given as a restricted free agent, which the Hawks failed to match.
“I think so,” said Hardaway. “I know so. I know how much work I’ve put into the offseason, I know how much work I put in during the season, and I don’t think it’s a mistake at all.”
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