Although the door to the NBA's free agency market has not yet opened this summer, the trade market is quite lively, with many teams already making trades, as well as the Mavericks, the runner-up in the Finals in the 23-24 season. According to a report by famed journalist Woj, the Mavericks traded Hardaway Jr. and three second-rounders (one '25 second-round pick from the Raptors and two '28 second-rounders) to get Grimes from the Pistons.
In the regular season of the 23-24 season, Hardaway Jr. played 79 games for the Mavericks, averaging 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the field. By the playoffs, he was averaging 4.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting 37.9 percent from the field. It was this kind of low-level play to the critical moment that made the Mavericks decide to give it up, because he could not complete the task of the team's sixth man well, which was contrary to the Mavericks' goal of winning the championship.
Hardaway Jr.'s salary is $17.9 million this season and $16.19 million for the '24-25 season, so how big is his next contract? It depends on his performance on the Pistons, if he is still so tepid, he will probably fade out of the NBA and have no ball to play. As a player selected by the Knicks with the 24th pick in the first round in 2013, Hardaway Jr. is now 32 years old and has slowly entered the second half of his career. As a result, he needs to continue to play at the top of his sixth man's game if he is able to secure a new contract, otherwise his prospects are very bleak.
And who is Grimes who the Mavericks got in the deal? He was drafted by the Clippers with the 25th pick in the first round in 2021 and went on to play for the Knicks and Pistons. He averaged 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in the 23-24 season while shooting 33.8 percent from three-point range, which is not a shooter. Fortunately, he is only 24 years old, and his personal salary is not high, with a height of 1.96 meters, he can become a flank for the Mavericks. Perhaps, the Mavericks got him as a scratch ticket, and let's see how he plays in the new season.
Previously, Stein reported that the Pistons were a potential trade destination for Hardaway Jr., and Grimes could be part of a trade. Now that these things have become a reality, I think both sides have already negotiated everything.
However, the Mavericks' goal is to continue to challenge for the championship, and the team that sent Hardaway Jr. lost a sixth man, and there will be more important trades to be made. For example, management is likely to pursue Brogdon, who was traded by the Trail Blazers to the Wizards, to serve as the team's sixth man, replacing Hardaway Jr., a team that also has a third ball-handler and can also play the team's 3-and-D color.