Mavericks Extend Young Guard On Three-Year Deal

The Dallas Mavericks extend one of their young players

Oct 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) brings the ball up court against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have extended one of their key young pieces, even if it's not the one that was rumored over the weekend. Shams Charania of ESPN has announced that the Mavs have agreed to a contract extension with Jaden Hardy worth $18 million over three years. They traded to acquire Hardy during the 2022 NBA Draft, after he was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round.

Dallas had been rumored to extend Quentin Grimes over the weekend, but they pivoted to Hardy, who was entering the last year of his rookie contract. Hardy led the team in scoring during the preseason, and they believe he can be a big piece off the bench in the future.

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Hardy played valuable minutes last season, averaging 7.3 PPG in 73 games played, and provided an occasional spark off the bench in the playoffs. He still needs to improve as a playmaker to realize his potential, but he provides instant bench scoring when needed. With Jason Kidd wanting to run deep rotations, having players like Hardy on cheap contracts is important.

With Hardy locked in, the only players they have facing free agency next offseason are Grimes (restricted free agent), Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dante Exum. Kyrie Irving and Dwight Powell have player options they could opt out of and Jazian Gortman, Kessler Edwards, and Brandon Williams are on two-way contracts.

Dallas didn't have to get this deal done today, as Hardy wasn't a first-round pick and Monday was the deadline to re-sign first-rounders from the 2021 class, but they saw value in getting the deal done now.

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