Build the Trade: Cavs target pedigreed shooter from the Mavs

Would the Cavs trade for Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Mavs?

We should probably start by jumping the gun on our own analysis: per Chris Fedor’s reporting, the Cavs do want Tim Hardaway Jr. and would probably say yes to this deal. Given the cost of Hardaway’s contract for the next two seasons it’s likely they ask for some compensation coming alongside THJ; we made it a 2025 second in this iteration.

Why would the Cavs want to do this trade? The big reason is the shooting that Hardaway provides. Hardaway is shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range this season on 7.9 attempts per game (9.9 per 36 minutes). Per Marc Stein ($$), in the 21 games entering Sunday since Hardaway became a starter he is hitting 40.5 percent from 3-point range.

Hardaway is a decent ball-handler and can attack defenses in rotation, so he provides an escape valve if Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland are double-teamed. The improvement over Caris LeVert is that when he doesn’t have the ball Hardaway remains a weapon. The downgrade is that LeVert is having the best defensive season of his career, but the Cavs are one of the teams best equipped to make up for that issue.

So do the Cavaliers make this trade? Yes, they probably do. If the Mavericks don’t find a better ball-handler on the trade market, and the Cavs don’t make a move for another wing, this is a deal that has a great chance of happening by the February Trade Deadline.