The Nuggets had every reason to like what Tim Hardaway Jr. gave them last season. They signed him to a veteran’s minimum deal, got more than they paid for, and watched him deliver 13.5 points per game while shooting a career-best 40.7 percent from three.
But when free agency opened, Denver couldn’t keep him. Hardaway landed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Heat, and the Nuggets were boxed out financially. They didn’t have his Bird rights, which would have given them more room to pay him, because he hadn’t been with the team for three seasons.
A few weeks into the new season, that departure looks a lot easier to live with.
Hardaway has opened his Miami stint looking nothing like the player Denver had. He’s averaging just 5.8 points and is shooting 26.5 percent from deep. When the threes stop dropping, the rest of his game gets exposed, especially on defense.
That showed up Wednesday in Miami’s overtime win over the Clippers, when Erik Spoelstra pulled him after seven first-half minutes. Hardaway finished with zero points and missed both of his three-point attempts. Then on Thursday against the Warriors, he went 0-for-3 from deep in four minutes, marking the fourth time this season he’s gone without making at least one three.
For Denver, the fit was simple. The Nuggets are taking just 31.9 three-point attempts per game this season, the third-worst figure in the NBA, and Hardaway gave them exactly the kind of perimeter volume they needed. Last season, he averaged 6.9 threes per game.
Miami’s situation hasn’t made life any easier. The Heat are still sorting through a roster with several new pieces, and their spacing has been a problem.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are still learning how to share the floor, and that has put even more pressure on Hardaway’s jumper. The defense hasn’t helped either, with Miami ranking among the worst in the league on that end.
That combination has turned into a rough stretch for a player whose value is built on forcing defenses to pay attention to him on the perimeter.
Hardaway has been around long enough to know slumps don’t last forever, but the pressure in Miami, especially with the Antetokounmpo trade hanging over everything, can’t be making things easier. The Heat are 3-6, and while the season is still young, there’s already a clear gap between where they are and the teams they’re chasing in the East.
Denver brought Hardaway in for 2025 hoping his bench shooting would help another championship push. He did his part in the regular season, playing 26.6 minutes per game across 80 contests and helping steady the Nuggets through injuries, even if his efficiency slipped in the playoffs. That made his exit hard to watch.
Still, right now, the Nuggets have no real reason to second-guess letting him go.
In Other News...
Aaron Gordon Gave Nuggets Fans A Mexico City Moment To Love
The Nuggets trip to Mexico City already had the feel of a showcase game, with Denver taking care of Indiana 114-102 and getting solid work from Cam Johnson, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Pascal Siakam carried the Pacers offensively, but the night belonged to the broader experience as much as the box score, with two teams playing in front of a crowd that got a rare regular-season treat outside the U.S.
Before tipoff, Aaron Gordon helped provide the kind of local touch that can turn a neutral-site game into something memorable for the home crowd. It was the sort of small moment that travels well, especially in a game like this, and it fit neatly into a night that gave Nuggets fans something extra to remember before the team and Indiana both head to Texas for their next games. [Read more 🡒]
Nikola Jokic Knows Why The Nuggets Needed Spencer Jones Back
The Nuggets have spent much of the early part of the 2026-27 season juggling injuries, but their rotation looked a lot more settled once Spencer Jones was back in the mix. Denver had most of its regulars available again, with Julian Strawther still sidelined, and Jones return gave the team another long, versatile piece to lean on at both ends of the floor.
Nikola Jokic and coach David Adelman both pointed to the same thing after Jones rejoined the group: his value goes beyond filling a spot in the lineup. His defense helps Denver hold up on the perimeter, and his shooting and overall activity give the offense another layer, which is exactly the kind of balance the Nuggets have been missing while trying to patch together the early schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Missed On A Young Wing They Could Have Used
A young wing the Nuggets could have used is on the move again, with Oklahoma City landing Nique Clifford from Sacramento after he had seen his role shrink early in the season. The second-year player, taken 24th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, now gives the Thunder another developmental piece on the perimeter, while Denver is left to watch a player who fit a clear need land elsewhere.
The deal also underscores how aggressive Oklahoma City has been in chasing upside on the margins, even if it means shuffling the back end of the roster to make room. Cliffords arrival could mean a roster move is coming soon, and for the Nuggets it is another reminder that the market for young, versatile wings can move quickly when a team is willing to act. [Read more 🡒]