Mavs Injury Update: Hardaway Jr. Undergoes Foot Surgery

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis talk about how Tim Hardaway Jr.’s injury will affect the Dallas Mavericks.

During the Dallas Mavericks' 130-92 loss to the Golden State Warriors last week, veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a fracture of his fifth metatarsal when attempting a layup during the second quarter.

Today, the Mavs announced that Hardaway Jr. underwent surgery to address the fracture and will begin rehab immediately. No timetable has been set for his return yet.

Tim Hardaway Jr. underwent surgery to address a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.

There is currently no timetable for his return. pic.twitter.com/wDD9GMfeM5

— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 1, 2022

Hardaway Jr., who signed a four-year, $75 million contract in the offseason, is one of the Mavericks' key leaders despite coming off the bench. Although a timetable hasn’t been set, he is expected to miss the full length of the Mavericks' remaining regular season based on the typical recovery time for the injury he suffered.

“l talked to him,” Luka Doncic said. “He is disappointed. 

"He was sad, so we tried to cheer him up. But when you get injured, it’s hard to be happy.”

Against the Warriors, Hardaway Jr. logged 10 minutes of action before suffering the injury. He finished the night was 10 points headlined by having made all five of his attempts from the free throw line.

The Mavericks have relied on a combination of Reggie Bullock, Josh Green, and Frank Ntilikina for bench minutes on the perimeter in Hardaway Jr.’s absence.

“Tim is a great leader for us — always vocal, always extremely competitive, always wants to win,” said Porzingis, who is now out with a ‘bone bruise’ knee injury of his own.

“Hopefully, even if he is not playing, he can be around the team as much as possible, be at the games as soon as he can and be that presence for us.”

While Hardaway Jr. hasn't been converting from deep at his regular levels, there is still plenty of instances where his shooting gravity provides helpful benefit for Doncic and the Mavericks. When Hardaway Jr. either connects on a ball screens, sets a ghost screen, or is a back screener in an action like Spain pick-and-roll, his presence is key. 

Using Tim Hardaway Jr. as a ball screener on this play helped the Mavericks to get OG Anunoby off Luka Doncic as a result of the switch.

With Justin Champagnie, who is listed at 206 lbs, now guarding him, Doncic easily gets to the turnaround jumper after a backdown dribble. pic.twitter.com/YlvWuDTJad

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 20, 2022

The Mavericks may need to look beyond the current roster for a few options if they are to truly replace a fair amount of the production they lose with Hardaway Jr. being sidelined. The $10.9 million trade exception could be a key avenue to doing so. 

A combo guard that can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers and convert pull-ups at a strong clip could be the mold of what the team could seek. Finding one to fit within the trade exception may be a challenge, but, of course, that's not necessarily a requirement to use.

There already has been speculation about the Mavericks needing to trade either Jalen Brunson or Dorian Finney-Smith due to financial reasons. Now, there's more reason for a deal to be made. The buyout market could be another option to monitor, too.

“We’re going to have to figure out how to play without [Hardaway] for a little while,” said Porzingis.

“We have some guys that are ready to step up that haven’t had a chance to play and that can give us some production, so we’re excited. I’m excited for those guys that are going to get that opportunity now.”

The Dallas Mavericks have until the afternoon of Feb. 10 to get a deal done if they want to look outside of the current roster to help replace Tim Hardaway Jr.'s production using a trade. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for updates.