For a good portion of star guard Luka Doncic’s time with the Dallas Mavericks, he played alongside veteran wing Tim Hardaway Jr.
They spent parts of six seasons together and accomplished a lot, including a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals. But in the 2024 offseason, Hardaway was traded, and former NBA guard Patrick Beverley apparently saw it coming.
A lot of your favorite players aren’t as cool as they seem 😅 pic.twitter.com/MKgx4NlGsq
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) March 7, 2025
“We in Mykonos, Greece — me, P.G. (Paul George), Pat Patterson, Big Zu (Ivica Zubac),” Beverley began. “I see Tim Hardaway Jr. He go, ‘Yeah man, tryna get out of Dallas.’ I go, ‘Why? That’d be the worst thing you’ve ever done. Why are you tryna leave Dallas?’
“‘Yeah man, I just want the ball more. Luka got the ball more.’ He should. Run your a– to the corner and shoot open 3s all game. You mean you already fighting with Luka? ‘Yeah man, I ain’t feeling that s—.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ I told P.G., ‘His a– gonna be traded in a year.’ In nine months his a– was in Detroit. Lame.”
While there are two sides to every story, it’s possible that Hardaway was indeed ready for a change of scenery due to how often Doncic had the ball with the Mavs.
As Beverley mentioned, Hardaway landed with the Detroit Pistons via trade. The irony is that Doncic was eventually also traded, so had Hardaway’s Dallas stint continued, he could have possibly played a role with the Mavs where he got the ball more.
Doncic’s usage rate was through the roof during his time with Dallas. In three of his seasons with the Mavs, he led the NBA in usage percentage. His career usage percentage of 35.5 is the highest in NBA history as of now.
Since being traded to the Lakers, Doncic has maintained a high usage rate. Before the trade this season, he was at 33.0 percent. In 11 appearances since the trade, he’s been at 34.9 percent.
Meanwhile, Hardaway’s usage rate has actually decreased with the Pistons compared to what it was during his Mavs tenure. He was a nice piece for Dallas, averaging 15.2 points per game during his time with the team. He received Sixth Man of the Year consideration a couple of times as a Maverick.
But he’s also making an impact in Detroit. He and the Pistons are looking to put the finishing touches on what has been a strong regular season. Detroit currently has a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.