NBA Rumors: Tim Hardaway Jr. fancies joining the Miami Heat in free agency
Tim Hardaway Jr. could follow in his father's footsteps and play for the Miami Heat in the near future, as per the latest NBA rumors. After a solid campaign with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2020-21 season, Hardaway Jr. is set to test the open market as a free agent.
Several teams are expected to show interest in Tim Hardway Jr., including the Mavericks, but the 6'5 shooting guard seemingly has his own plans. As reported by Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports, Hardaway Jr. is interested in joining the Miami Heat in free agency. Sylvander wrote:
"As the beginning of free agency gets closer and closer, I can report that Tim Hardaway Jr is intrigued by the idea of landing in Miami and would love to join the Heat, a league source tells Five Reasons. However, the timing of free agency and contract details are perceived as likely challenges by Hardaway and his camp, according to the same sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity."
Tim Hardaway Jr. largely came off the bench for the Dallas Mavericks this season and averaged 16.6 points per game while shooting 39.1% from deep.
NBA Rumors: Are Miami Heat the frontrunners to sign Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency?
Considering that Tim Hardaway Jr. resides in Miami, it's not too surprising that he'd want to play for a franchise closer to home. The Miami Heat could use his scoring ability too, but as mentioned above, finances could hinder such a move.
At 29, Tim Hardaway Jr. is in his prime years and has just completed arguably the best season of his NBA career so far. He will be looking at a contract well in excess of $20 million annually and that's not a figure the Heat will be too keen on paying.
The Miami Heat can decline the team options that they have on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala (worth $19.4 million and $15 million respectively) to create cap space. But they would prefer to keep that room open to land an All-Star level talent. The Heat could consider Hardaway Jr. as a fallback option, but given the interest in him, he could've already committed to another team by then.
As things stand, it would be far-fetched to call the Miami Heat the favorites to land Tim Hardaway Jr., but he would be a good fit alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.