5 Reasons the Mavericks aced the Tim Hardaway Jr. for Quentin Grimes trade

A move that has been speculated finally came true for the Dallas Mavericks as the team traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons along with three second-round draft picks in exchange for Quentin Grimes. Hardaway Jr.'s tenure in Big D has come to an end as he has been a member of the team since 2019.

After coming off a Finals loss to the Celtics, the Mavs needed to make moves to their roster to have a good shot of making it back. This was a move that the team needed to make considering that the Mavs had been trying to trade Hardaway Jr. for multiple seasons.

The Mavs had big expectations when they acquired Hardaway Jr. hoping he'd break out in Dallas. Unfortunately, he never prevailed to be a break-out piece for the Mavs, and with the trade now to the Pistons, it was the best thing for the franchise.

5 Reasons the Mavericks aced the Tim Hardaway Jr. for Quentin Grimes trade

General manager Nico Harrison made sure if he was going to trade Hardaway Jr. at this time, he would get the team in a better direction, and he certainly did.

Here are five reasons the Dallas Mavericks aced the Tim Hardaway Jr. for Quentin Grimes trade with the Detroit Pistons.

5. The end of Tim Hardaway Jr.'s time in Dallas was a disaster

Hardaway Jr.'s season got really bad following the February 8 trade deadline as he only recorded two 20-point games. Despite that, he finished averaging the third highest points on the team with 14.4 and had the perfect chance to be the x-factor for the Mavs in the 2024 Playoffs. Hardaway Jr. became unplayable at times during the playoffs and grew frustrated with his role. In three games he played in the Finals, Hardaway Jr. went scoreless and disappeared when the team needed him.

Hardaway Jr. was in the trade rumors before and his father was ready for him to be traded away. If Hardaway Jr.'s father is ready for him to be traded, becoming unplayable during the Playoffs, and was frustrated with his role, there's no point in keeping a player on the team.

The right decision was made for Harrison to trade Hardaway Jr., as he was becoming a big liability.

With Grimes being younger than Hardaway Jr. too, Grimes can have the ability to play with more athleticism and be more of a lockdown defender. With Hardaway Jr. being an aging veteran and struggling defensively, it makes him become more of a defensive liability than the younger Grimes.

With the amount of talented superstars in the Western Conference alone, the Mavs needed to find themselves a defensive guard that could limit some of the elite scorers down when playing the Mavs. With Grimes at the helm, he can help out better defensively for the Mavs than Hardaway Jr. did last season. Point-of-attack defense was an area that general manager Nico Harrison needed to improve in the offseason, and he landed a good piece in the young Grimes.