Jaden Hardy's bold goal this season will make Mavericks unstoppable

Earlier this week, the Dallas Mavericks made one move that caught many by surprise ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Dallas signed Jaden Hardy to a three-year, $18 million extension ahead of the season, and this move came out of nowhere considering that there weren't any reports that Dallas and Hardy were exploring a contract extension. The reports around Monday's deadline surrounded the Mavs and Quentin Grimes discussing a possible extension, but the two sides did not come to an agreement.

Dallas' deal for Hardy was for exceptional value, as they now have him locked up for the next four years, and this move shows that the Mavs have a level of belief in his development. Hardy has had an up-and-down career over his two short seasons with the Mavs, and he is ready to take the next step this season.

During Media Day, Jason Kidd said that Hardy is going to "get his opportunity" this season, and he seems ready for whatever role that Kidd decides to assign him. Hardy has his sights set on winning the NBA Finals with Dallas this season, but he has a big individual goal as well.

Jaden Hardy sets his sights on winning Sixth Man of the Year

After practice on Wednesday, Hardy revealed that he wants to win Sixth Man of the Year.

The last time that a Maverick won Sixth Man of the Year was in 2009 when Jason Terry won the award, and Hardy finding a way to win this award would signal that Dallas' offense is truly one of the most dominant units in the NBA. Players who win Sixth Man of the Year commonly are score-first guards as Hardy is, and him emerging as the consensus best bench player in the NBA and winning this award this season would put the Mavs in a great spot moving forward.

Their starting lineup's offense is already incredible, and Hardy keeping that same spark going when the second unit is checked into the game would be huge for Dallas.

Over his first two seasons in the league, Hardy averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from downtown. Hardy would typically light up the scoreboard when he was in the game, but his role was inconsistent.

There would be stretches where Hardy would be a key part of Kidd's rotation, and on other nights he would be an afterthought. Hardy's stellar play in the preseason illustrated the hard work that he put in over the summer, and it could lead him to his main goal of being named the Sixth Man of the Year.

In order for Hardy to go win this award, he is going to have to have a solidified spot in the rotation, and his scoring numbers are going to have to go way up. Everyone knows that Hardy can go get a bucket at any time, but he needs to have a consistent role and be a huge difference-maker for the Mavs if he wants to be in the conversations to win this prestigious honor.

If Hardy were to emerge as one of the best bench players in the league, the Mavs would find themselves in a dream position. Hardy is only making $6 million per season (after this year), and that is an absolute steal of a contract if he can jump into those conversations.

Hardy is setting his goals for himself high this season, and if he did find a way to win this award, that would likely mean that Dallas is one of the top offenses in the league again.

Last season, the Mavs were seventh in the NBA in points per game with 117.9 points per game and were third in 3-pointers made per game with 14.6. If Hardy is able to take his game to the next level and be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year, expect these numbers to remain high once again.