Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. injury update: Surgery likely

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was already ruled out for the season and appears likely to undergo surgery. Find out the latest here.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared an update on Tim Hardaway Jr. on March 28. THJ was already ruled out for the season because of a leg injury. Here is the news courtesy of Tim MacMahon.

As bad as that sounds, stress fractures and reactions are not that uncommon in the NBA. In Street Clothes did a feature about that type of injury back in 2015 when Jrue Holiday was suffering with them. The problem is even after surgery the reoccurrence rate is relatively high. Not a positive sign for Hardaway Jr. moving forward.

The Dallas Mavericks acquired THJ as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the Knicks. Hardaway Jr. played 16 games with the Mavs before being ruled out for the year. Over the last four seasons, he has been limited to 252 games or just 63 per season.

Hardaway Jr. is under contract at $18.15 million next season (with a $20 million cap hit) and has a player option for the 2020-2021 season. He will be difficult to trade so expect him to stick in Dallas for the remainder of this contract.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is likely to undergo surgery to help heal his stress reaction in his leg. The organization is expecting him to make a full recovery before training camp. The injury will be something to monitor this offseason. He has not had the surgery yet, so perhaps a firmer timetable will come after the procedure.

The Mavs have plenty to sort out this summer. They have cap space and the desire to compete next season. THJ likely slots in a sixth man who can get buckets off the bench. He averaged a career-high 18.1 points per game this season. That role would be right in the wheelhouse of Hardaway Jr.

The Smoking Cuban will provide updates on the Tim Hardaway Jr. injury as they become available. Our site will also have plenty of opinions and analysis on the Mavericks in the coming months, so please keep checking back with us.