Cavs 'Keeping An Eye On' Potential Trade for Mavs' Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. is drawing trade interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the Feb. 9 midseason deadline.

Many around the NBA will watch the Dallas Mavericks as the Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches. Luka Doncic is playing at an even greater level than he did just a season ago — a campaign that ended with a Western Conference Finals appearance. 

The Mavs are considered as needing a co-star to pair with Doncic. Some have floated Zach LaVine as a logical option in the event of a midseason implosion from the Chicago Bulls. Regardless, the options are limited in their options given they owe their 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks due to obligations still owed from the Kristaps Porzingis trade back in 2019. 

Perhaps an option for the Mavs would be to clean up their salary spending obligations as they reshuffle the supporting cast around Doncic. During a recent appearance on the "Please Don't Aggregate This" podcast, Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor mentioned that Tim Hardaway Jr. is a trade target the Cavs are "keeping an eye on" ahead of the deadline. 

“The Cavs believe this player is available,” Fedor said. “And my sources tell me that he could be had. It’s again at the right price. And it’s a little bit tricky because he’s on a team that’s fourth place currently in the Western Conference. … Tim Hardaway Jr. is somebody that the Cavs have been watching and they’ve been keeping an eye on. And I think if the Cavs have their choice, it would be very, very close. And they’re not going to have their choice. It doesn’t work that way. But if they had their choice, it would be between Bojan [Bogdanovic] and Tim Hardaway Jr.”

Such a trade would be a logical option for the Cavs given they've sorely struggled to find a catch-and-shoot threat to play alongside Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland on the perimeter. Isaac Okoro has outright failed to develop and Caris LeVert is best when playing the ball in his hands. 

Hardaway got off to a slow start to the season after coming off a season-ending foot injury. During his first 18 games, he averaged 10.3 points while shooting 31.1 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. He was among the league's least efficient offensive players during this span. 

After finding his footing using a 22-point performance against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 29, Hardaway has been much improved over his last 20 games. He's averaging 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range on 9.0 attempts per game. 

On a Mavs team that is limited in their supporting cast around Doncic, Hardaway has proved to be integral to their recent success. When he's clicking, it often involves a strong conversion rate of tough catch-and-shoot looks on a high volume of attempts. However, there are some factors to consider.

In terms of what a potential trade involving Hardaway being sent to the Cavs could look like, it depends on what the Mavs' objectives are in such a deal. Is the goal to shed future salary obligations? Hardaway is owed $17,897,728 in 2023-24 and $16,193,183 in 2024-25. A trade centered around Caris LeVert would be the cleanest option in such a scenario as he's on an expiring $18.7 million salary.

There are limitations regarding possible spending power generated by moving future salary as a team already obligated to pay significant money to veteran players over the next few seasons. An angle to such a move could perhaps be to clear playing time for Josh Green and Jaden Hardy as he continues his development in addition to reducing possible luxury tax spending. 

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