A lot of this has to do with the great relationship that the Mavericks and Wizards front office has. They just recently worked together during the trade deadline. Daniel Gafford was traded for Richaun Holmes and the 2024 first-round pick which originated from the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, this partnership could spill over to the offseason with Hardaway Jr. as the main trade asset that the Mavericks need to let go of.

After all, the veteran could still produce solid numbers given the right minutes. He notched 14.4 points on a 40.2% clip from all three levels of scoring when the Luka Doncic-led squad still used him a lot. His three-point acumen is also still alive and strong. Those shots from beyond the arc are still seeing the bottom of the net 35.3% of the time.

Not to mention, the biggest asset that he has over any other player is his durability. Hardaway Jr. played in 79 games for Jason Kidd’s Mavericks last season. He was able to constantly produce for them despite having meager minutes.

The big reason why the Mavericks player could be heading to the Wizards

Jason Kidd and the Mavericks have made Tim Hardaway Jr.’s role very small. In their NBA Finals clash with the Boston Celtics, he only got to play big minutes during garbage time in their blowout Game 4 victory. Other than that, his production was not fit for the schemes that the Mavericks were running. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have just playing a different brand of basketball since then.