Tim Hardaway Sr., the Hall of Famer whose killer crossover made him one of the most electrifying point guards of the 1990s, has a simple message for the Nuggets front office this summer: keep his kid.
“I still think they need Tim Hardaway Jr. there to come off the bench and play a significant role for their team,” the elder Hardaway said Tuesday on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.”
It is a sentiment the Nuggets themselves have echoed, at least in broad strokes. At the team’s end-of-season news conference Friday, president Josh Kroenke said “everything is on the table, outside of trading Nikola” Jokic — and that included running it back with essentially the same roster that went 54-28 before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
ADVERTISEMENT
What the younger Hardaway does could hinge that calculation. The 34-year-old guard averaged 13.5 points in 80 games, mostly coming off the bench where he shot 41% from 3-point range, draining 205 triples — the sixth-most by a reserve in the 3-point era. Hardaway was named a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, ultimately losing out to San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson.
But Hardaway Jr. is now an unrestricted free agent, and Denver’s financial picture is complicated. Because the Nuggets hold only non-Bird rights, they can offer him no more than 120% of the veteran minimum — roughly $4.7 million in the first year — a figure that may not reflect the market value of a player coming off a career renaissance. That said, he played on a minimum contract this past season and had an ineffective postseason.
His father framed the Nuggets’ dilemma in blunt terms.
“If I was the owner or GM, I would want to run it back with that same crew healthy,” Hardaway Sr. said. “When he went out with that ankle injury, it seemed like (Christian Braun) couldn’t get himself back together. Same way with (Aaron) Gordon, when he went out with that hamstring injury. … If they was 100% healthy, I think they could have beat the Timberwolves and went on and played the second round.”
Hardaway Sr. was also asked about restricted free agent Peyton Watson, who emerged as a key contributor when Gordon and others were sidelined by injury but whose skill set — defense and athleticism — is needed.
“He’s a hell of a player. You can’t let a talent like that go,” Hardaway Sr. said. “Who you gonna get back that’s that talented, and that can play in that system that way? I don’t think there’s many people out there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Still, the former Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat star and one-time Nugget was candid about what he sees as the roster’s biggest deficiency.
“Defense was terrible,” he said. “Man-to-man defense, not tough enough at times, not in your face at times. I think they got to go out there and hit somebody first instead of letting them get hit and going down 15 and always clawing your way back.”
Hardaway Jr. isn’t the best defender but his hustle was noticeable all year long and the Nuggets trusted him in many defensive situations despite his reputation as a one-way player.
The Nuggets must navigate keeping their talent while operating above the second apron — all while likely needing a shakeup. It seems like an impossible task. But it’s good to know the Hardaway family is interested in returning to the Mile High City, even after a sour ending.
“Let’s run this back,” Hardaway Sr. said.
ADVERTISEMENT