Imagine this: a team trades Player A to sign Player B, only to renounce the rights to Player B to sign Player A to a boatload of money. Pretty unrealistic, right? Not according to the New York Knicks. The Knicks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. for Jerian Grant, who was then traded to create space to sign Derrick Rose. A year later, the Knicks renounced their rights to Derrick Rose and used that cap space to sign Hardaway Jr. to a 4-year/$71M deal. Hardaway Jr. is a restricted free agent of the Atlanta Hawks, who have a very expensive decision on their hands.
Hardaway Jr. was the 24th pick in the 2013 Draft by the Knicks. He spent two seasons in the Big Apple, proving to be a decent scorer as well as a knockdown shooter. However, some off the court issues with teammate Carmelo Anthony, who threatened “to beat him up” after an altercation in 2014. Hardaway Jr.’s tenure with the Knicks came to an end in 2015, when he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
Last season, Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.5 PPG while shooting 46 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep.
