Mavericks land major steal by signing young flamethrower to extension

On Friday of last week, the Dallas Mavericks made a flurry of moves to finish building their roster ahead of the regular season.

Dallas waived A.J. Lawson, Jamarion Sharp, and Brandon Williams while converting Jazian Gortman's deal to a two-way contract, and this roster is looking the strongest it ever has in the Luka Doncic era.

Nico Harrison and company made plenty of moves to ensure that Dallas will be in championship conversations this season and for years to come, and they made another move on Monday afternoon to help ensure this.

Mavericks get major steal by extending Hardy on team-friendly deal

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, the Mavericks signed Jaden Hardy to a three-year, $18 million contract extension with a team option after the second year ahead of today's deadline. Hardy had a great preseason with Dallas, and this decision from the Mavs shows that they believe in his long-term potential.

For his career in Dallas, Hardy averages 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from downtown, and he'll be one of Dallas' scorers off the bench for years to come. He has shown an ability to score in bunches over his first two seasons in the NBA, but some of the brightest flashes of his career had nothing to do with his scoring.

Hardy took the next step in his development last season in the playoffs when he proved he could be a reliable lob passer and a decent decision-maker in the pick and roll, and this improvement rolled into this preseason. The NBA Playoffs are a different beast and Hardy rose to the occasion as a 21-year-old second-year player and was one of Dallas' biggest X-factors down the stretch.

While Hardy thrived as a secondary playmaker in Dallas' playoff run, Jason Kidd was using him as a primary initiator in the preseason games over the last couple of weeks. Kidd putting him in these tough situations is only going to help him as a secondary creator next to Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Hardy doesn't need to be an elite passer to be a good role player in Dallas, he just needs to make the right reads when needed, hit open shots, and complement Doncic and Irving. He has shown all of those skills so far this preseason, and he could end up developing into an elite scorer off the bench if he continues to grow in all parts of his game.

Hardy is only 22 years old, and he has shown in flashes that he can be a consistent role player for the Mavs. Despite having a down year last season, he was one of the many bright spots for the Mavs during the preseason and it's obvious that he worked extremely hard on his craft.

Hardy was letting threes fly with confidence as he always does, dropping dimes, and operating in the pick and roll more than we're used to seeing. Him taking the next step as a passer and carrying over the momentum from the playoffs into this season will be important for him, and the Mavs continue to do a great job at securing young players who can help them win right now.

Hardy's potential third-year leap is one of the more under-the-radar storylines for Dallas heading into this season, but him being consistent and reliable in his minutes could boost their Finals chances more than expected. The Mavs are going to need someone to step up as a secondary ball handler off the bench since Dante Exum will miss significant time with a wrist injury, and Hardy is primed to do just that.

He is locked in on improving on his decision-making and proving to Kidd that he can be counted upon in big moments, and this extension from the Mavs shows how they really feel about how he fits on this squad.