Nuggets

Sources: Nuggets sign Hardaway Jr. to 1-year deal

By Tony • July 2, 2025 • 3 min read

Free agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN.

Hardaway had a strong season for the Detroit Pistons in the team’s resurgent 2024-25 campaign and is now headed to Denver after the 2023 NBA champions finalized a deal with Mark Bartelstein of PrioritySports.

Last season, Hardaway started 77 games for the Detroit Pistons, averaging 11 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. The 77 starts were the most in Hardaway’s 12-year NBA career.

It’s been a busy few days for the Nuggets, who ESPN sources say traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson on Monday and brought free agent Bruce Brown to the team.

On Tuesday, sources said the Nuggets acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings for Dario Saric.

Hardaway was acquired by the Pistons from the Dallas Mavericks, where he primarily served as the team’s sixth man. The veteran was one of the additions last summer that helped spark an unprecedented 30-win turnaround for Detroit last season that resulted in a playoff berth.

The 33-year-old just finished the final year of a four-year, $75 million contract.

The Nuggets got rid of Michael Porter Jr. and still might’ve found a way to increase their league-worst 3-point volume anyway.

Free agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has agreed to a one-year veteran minimum contract with Denver, a league source told The Denver Post on Tuesday. Hardaway, 33, is the team’s second acquisition of free agency, joining Bruce Brown.

Hardaway shot 36.8% from 3-point range last season on six attempts per game, while averaging 28 minutes for the Detroit Pistons. He has also played for Dallas, New York and Atlanta over the course of a 12-year NBA career.

Related Articles

  • Nuggets Analysis: Nikola Jokic asked for depth. By trading MPJ for Cam Johnson, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace delivered
  • Nuggets trade Dario Saric to Kings for Jonas Valanciunas, source says
  • Nuggets hire former DU coach Rodney Billups, J.J. Barea to David Adelman’s staff
  • Nuggets’ 2026 championship odds: What sportsbooks think of Denver’s chances with Cam Johnson
  • Michael Porter Jr. trade gave Nuggets more free agent money. Who can they target?

He’ll join Cam Johnson among the Nuggets’ new floor-spacing ranks next season as they attempt to ease the burden on Nikola Jokic in the post. For two consecutive years since winning their first NBA championship, they have attempted the fewest 3-pointers in the league, and defenses have responded to their personnel by shrinking the paint against Jokic more frequently.

Denver obtained Johnson on Monday night in a trade that sent Porter, the team’s best volume shooter of yesteryear, to Brooklyn.

Hardaway’s father briefly played for the Nuggets in 2002, appearing in 14 games near the end of his Hall of Fame career.