2019 NBA Trade Deadline: 5 players to avoid trading for

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 28: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 28, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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5. Tim Hardaway Jr.

In the absence of All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. has taken it upon himself to be the No. 1 scoring option for the New York Knicks. While the former Michigan Wolverine is averaging a career-best 19.6 points per game, there’s a reason New York would have to attach further assets to ship him off elsewhere.

Always able to put the ball in the basket, the struggle for Hardaway has been his ability to do so in an efficient manner, and this season is no different. THJ is shooting just 39.2 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from the line.

Part of this inefficiency is likely due to an increased workload Hardaway simply isn’t built to handle, but it’s hard to give the benefit of the doubt to a career 42.0 percent shooter. Throw in the lack of rebounds, assists and defensive abilities and you have a guy who scores 20 points on 20 shots and not much else.

A team on the come-up could look at the still 26-year-old and take a bet on his upcoming prime years, but on a contract that will pay him over $18 million a year until 2021, that’s a tough bet to make for those looking to take a leap forward in the standings with only so much room to work with.