The Miami Heat made the first and perhaps what will wind up being the biggest move of the offseason when they sent Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, the No. 13 Overall Pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (Tennessee’s Nate Ament), 2030 First-Round Pick Swap, unprotected First-Round Picks in 2031 and 2033, and a second-round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
Miami Heat, Tim Hardaway Jr. Agree to Deal
Antetokounmpo has been one of the league’s best players for a decade, but the Heat decimated their roster to acquire him. On Tuesday, they made another major move, agreeing to a deal with sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr.
With Antetokounmpo in the fold, the Heat have an excellent front court with Bam Adebayo manning the middle and a re-signed Andrew Wiggins at the 3.
Since Norman Powell is likely to leave in free agency, the Heat need shooting and depth badly around that core. By agreeing to a deal with Hardaway, they added one of the better shooters on the market.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the deal.
Free agent sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. has agreed to a deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/XUU03NO7O0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2026
Hardaway appeared in 80 games for the Nuggets last year, putting up 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. He shot 44.7% from the field, 40.7% from beyond the arc, and 81.1% from the charity stripe.
Hardaway may not be able to shoot over 40% from three again – last season was the first time he’d ever done that – but he is a career 36.5% shooter from three.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson believed the Heat would be after Hardaway immediately, and he was obviously correct.
”Tim Hardaway Jr. is among a select group of shooters very much on Heat’s radar, with free agency beginning Tuesday at 6:00,” Jackson wrote.
“For those asking about Anfernee Simons in the wake of Bobby Marks saying he would be perfect fit at the minimum for Heat, feedback I’ve received is that he will enter free agency looking for more than that, understandably (averaged 14.9 ppg, 38.1 on 3s in career).”
“There are always players who fall through cracks and take minimums (like Hardaway with Denver last year, Oubre with 76ers two years ago, etc.). Heat will be poised to pounce if the right player falls through the cracks.”
Clearly, that was the case.
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Hardaway was a first-round pick of the Knicks back in 2013 and spent four of his first six years in New York (with a two-year stint with the Hawks in the middle). He was dealt to Dallas in 2019, where he remained until he joined the Pistons for the 2024-25 season and the Nuggets last season.
Not only does Hardaway seem like a fantastic fit in Miami, but this is a reunion of sorts.
Hardaway is the son of former Heat point guard Tim Hardaway Sr. Although the younger Hardaway was born in Alameda, California, because his father played for the Warriors, he grew up in Florida and attended high school in South Florida before becoming an All-Big Ten player at Michigan.
