So far, NBA free agency has been a relatively quiet affair outside of a few choice signings, one of which hurts the Denver Nuggets.
According to NBA reporter Chris Haynes, Tim Hardaway Jr. is signing a one-year deal with the Miami Heat once the free agency moratorium ends of July 6th.
Free agent sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. will be signing with the Miami Heat to provide the organization with the spacing needed for Giannis Antetokounmpo, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/ZS5wLdcCeG
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2026
Shams Charania of ESPN later added that the deal would be one year for $6.5 million, a significant raise for Hardaway after playing on a minimum contract for the Nuggets in 2025-26.
Hardaway was an under-discussed element of Denver’s 2025 offseason spree in which they added Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Bruce Brown, but the veteran sharpshooter was by far the most consistent addition to Denver’s rotation. Hardaway played in 80 games, averaging 13.5 points per game in primarily a bench role while shooting 40.7% from three-point range.
Hardaway’s super power for Denver was his ability to get hot at the right time and give the Nuggets a lift. After making one three, Hardaway often followed it up with two or three more in a single quarter or half. He was such an effective sharpshooter that he finished the season with 224 threes, the most he’s ever had in a season in his career and tied for the 10th most in the NBA with Donovan Mitchell.
That skill pushed Hardaway to becoming one of the most important bench players in the NBA, finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Keldon Johnson in San Antonio and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Miami.
The Heat know the value of a productive bench player, and they also know the value of a Hardaway. After the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saw the Heat lose Tyler Herro, Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, and potentially Norman Powell too, Hardaway is clearly an excellent fit there to space the floor on the wing. In addition, Hardaway’s father, Tim Hardaway Sr., spent five seasons with the organization and made the All-Star team twice. There’s a relationship there.
The Heat gave Hardaway a larger contract than the minimum for those reasons. The Nuggets, for all they may have hoped to retain Hardaway, couldn’t offer him more than a small raise off the minimum salary because they don’t have Hardaway’s Bird Rights, which would’ve allowed them to pay more. There was very little Denver could do to match that Hardaway number without making a significant trade to shed salary.
Hardaway’s replacement, as currently constructed, is Julian Strawther, who will be entering his fourth season and a contract year. The Nuggets trust Strawther and believe in his skill set. He made progress and grew from Year 2 to Year 3, but he played fewer minutes due to Hardaway’s presence. Now that Hardaway’s 80 games and 2,127 total minutes have to be replaced, Strawther’s scoring on the wing looks far more important.
The Nuggets still have several free agents available to re-sign, including Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Bruce Brown, Tyus Jones, Jalen Pickett, and two-ways David Roddy and Curtis Jones.