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.

4. Mavericks defense improved tremendously

Quentin Grimes has been a steady defender since he joined the NBA in the 2021-22 season with the New York Knicks. Grimes has averaged 0.7 steals per game so far in his career. Last season in Dallas, Hardaway Jr. only averaged 0.5 steals per game. At times, Hardaway Jr. looked confused when playing defense.

According to StatMuse, Grimes had a defensive rating of 116.1 in the 2023-24 season. That is a pretty impressive number for a young 24-year-old player coming off his third NBA season. Grimes' defense and off-ball activity stood out in his short six-game tenure with the Pistons last season despite him battling injuries.

With Grimes being younger than Hardaway Jr. too, Grimes is someone the Mavs can build around and build a future with. Hardaway Jr. was clearly out of place towards the end of his tenure in Dallas and was a liability on defense.

When comparing Grimes to the other guards off the bench, he has the chance to become the best guard defender on the roster and someone who Jason Kidd can rely upon to guard the best bench players in the league.

He is elite at the point of attack, and he will only continue to improve.

3. Freed up money to re-sign Derrick Jones Jr.

When Tim Hardaway was struggling to be the x-factor in the Playoffs for the Mavs, another wing played into the x-factor role when Hardaway Jr. couldn't and that was Derrick Jones Jr. Offensively and defensively, Jones Jr. stood out for the Mavs when it mattered the most in the Playoffs.

With Hardaway Jr.'s contract now off the Mavs' hands, the team can try and make Jones Jr. a contract to make him stay. The Mavs keeping Jones Jr. is the team's top priority in the summer. Hardaway Jr. had a $16.2 million cap hit; Grimes had a cap hit of nearly $4.3 million. The Mavs will look to put some of the money away for Jones Jr. as he was a fearless player that Mavs fans quickly grew to love.

Jones Jr. averaged the fourth most points on the Mavs with 9.1 points per game in the playoffs, and also averaged one block per game, too. Jones Jr. quickly fit into Dallas' schemes with being an outstanding two-way player. It's not easy during the playoffs to have a player stand out both ways.

If the Mavs don't re-sign Jones Jr., it would be a gut punch for the franchise and fans. Jones Jr. loved being an underdog with the Mavs and it helped give the Mavs confidence as they fed off of it during their run to the Finals. Keeping Jones Jr. is something the Mavs desperately need to do and Nico Harrison needs to offer Jones Jr. a contract.

2. Mavericks improve now; and also for the future

Quentin Grimes turned 24 years old in May and is ready to reach his full potential now with the Mavs. With Tim Hardaway Jr. now being 32 years old and a declining player, he was someone the Mavs didn't need anymore.

Grimes was making excellent strides in the 2022-23 season when he averaged 11.3 points per game and it helped the Knicks make the playoffs. With a more talented Knicks roster this season, Grimes only averaged 7.3 points per game before getting traded to the Pistons and playing six games.

The Mavs couldn't wait anymore for Hardaway Jr. to reach his full development with him aging. But, they can wait for Grimes to as he's entering his fourth season. Once Grimes can get familiar with head coach Jason Kidd's system, Grimes will flourish. With Grimes already being a 37 percent career 3-point shooter after only three seasons, that is an area the Mavs can use help with in, and that was especially prevalent in the Finals against the Celtics.

Getting a younger and hungrier player who has more potential than an aging veteran who became a liability at the worst possible time was a move to be made. If Grimes turns into a solid role player or potential starter, the Mavs can re-sign him for the foreseeable future and keep their team competitive for more years to come. A fresh start away from a team like the PIstons is exactly what Grimes needed, and the Mavs made it happen.

1. Mavericks got better overall

It's addition by subtraction for the Mavs' roster with the team trading Tim Hardaway Jr. away and adding Quentin Grimes. With a liability gone, relief might be in the minds of everyone in the Mavs organization that they don't have to wait for Hardaway Jr. to break out. An aging liability who had his tenure end bad is now gone.

Grimes is coming to a team that is ready to reach the Finals again and this time win it. Having his 37 percent career 3-point shooting to go with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's ability to shoot the three too, makes them better. The Mavs can use more 3-point shooting to help them win. Grimes, if not ready to start, can come off the bench and be a two-way player.

With Grimes being a good defender, he can challenge some of the top guards in the Western Conference to low scoring games and keep the Mavs in more games.

General manager Nico Harrison has made trades before to help the Mavs win before, and this is another trade that can help the franchise. Whether if it was Spencer Dinwiddie in 2022, Irving at last year's deadline, Harrison has been able to make trades and help the team.

The Mavs have begun their 2024 offseason with recently drafting Melvin Ajinca and now trading Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons. However, the Mavs will be looking to do more work in the off-season.