5 NBA free-agent signings who have disappointed so far this season

5 NBA free agents who have disappointed so far this season: Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks

Tim Hardaway signed a 4-year, $75M extension to stay with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2021 offseason. So far, this deal has not really worked out.

In 31 games played this season, Tim Hardaway Jr. has averaged 14.6 PPG, 2.4 APG, 3.9 RPG, on 39 percent from the field and 32 percent from three. Similar to Duncan Robinson, Tim Hardaway is averaging the same amount of shots on way worse efficiency.

For example, last season Tim Hardaway shot 39.1 percent from three on 7.6 attempts, compared to 32 percent from three this season on 7.5 attempts. This is not ideal at all, especially considering he is getting paid around $18M a year for the next 4 seasons.

While the Mavericks as a team have struggled all season, with both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis having down years themselves, that is not really an excuse for Hardaway, who has shot around 39 percent from three on about 7 attempts the last two seasons.

However, this may simply be a return to normal for Hardaway, who consistently shot below 36 percent from three before his tenure with the Mavericks. Hardaway has struggled with efficiency his entire career.

While this may not entirely be his fault, with the Knicks forcing him to be their number one option player for a year and a half, it is still something he has struggled with. He’s only shot above 45 percent from the field one time in his 9-year career.

Whether it be due to wild shot selection at times (what I like to call J.R Smith syndrome) or just an inability to hit shots, Hardaway has struggled to shoot the three this season, something the Mavericks desperately need him to do with the star players struggling.

Even with these problems, Tim Hardaway has had moments of excellence this season, including a 29-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies in which he shot 5 for 9 from three. Or his 25-point game against the Raptors where he hit 7 threes on 11 attempts. These games show promise for the struggling Hardaway.

However, if he does not fix his poor play, it will be interesting to see if the Mavericks decide to move on from him or not before the February 10th trade deadline.