Miami Heat: 5 realistic free-agent targets this offseason
By Simon Smith
Miami Heat free-agent target 3. Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Age: 29
2020-21 salary: $19 million
Like McDermott, Tim Hardaway Jr. had a mix of both starting and reserve roles this season, his eighth in the league. And like McDermott, the 6’5″ Hardaway enjoyed the best year of his career, averaging 16.6 points in 28.4 minutes per game.
With the ability to both work on and off the ball, Hardaway is the type of explosive scorer the Heat were sorely lacking in their recent playoff run, where they produced an incredibly anaemic 95.4 offensive rating in their four games.
This past regular season, there were 16 players throughout the league who had at least 100 off screen possessions, with Hardaway ranking first in both points per possession (1.36) and field goal percentage (52.0). With a combination of a quick release, athleticism and an excellent shooting stroke, Hardaway is an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses when he’s rolling.
The Heat found this out first hand at home this season, with Hardaway exploding for a career high 10 triples on his way to 36 points. Overall for the 2020-21 season, 30.5 percent of Hardaway’s made baskets came unassisted, but he also ranked ninth overall in made catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, nailing these at an impressive 40.9 percent clip.
In terms of an overall fit, Hardaway’s arrival, like McDermott, very much depends on the Heat’s moves in both free agency and the trade market with their current roster. With Dragic, Robinson, Oladipo and Nunn all out of contract in the guard rotation, how this quartet of players are handled would be a very large determinant in whether the Heat make a serious pursuit of this unrestricted free agent.