The Miami Heat obviously made one of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Some of the luster was taken off the signing when they were unable to land LeBron James, who chose to play for less with the Philadelphia 76ers after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. Many felt the Heat gave up too much for Antetokounmpo, leaving a bare roster.
The Heat sent Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez, Kasparas Jakucionis and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Lost in all of the hoopla was the signing of Tim Hardaway Jr., from the Denver Nuggets.
He has been a solid role player during his 13-year career that has included several stops. This is his sixth team since being the 24th pick by the New York Knicks in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The Heat are adding a player who has averaged 13 points for his career, including a personal-best 19.1 with the Knicks in 2018-19. He was a key cog on last year's Denver Nuggets team that made the playoffs.
So Hardaway is no slouch.
His signing shouldn't be viewed as a footnote. While Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are expected to handle the bulk of the scoring load, Hardaway is a player who can step up on any given night. At 33, he still has a few peak years left before hitting a decline.
The Heat are actively searching for another veteran addition such as a DeMar DeRozan. If that is unable to happen, it will make Hardaway's role even bigger. Even though he may never make the Hall of Fame like his famous father, who has his Heat jersey retired, it is something he is more than capable of handling.
This is one of the more underrated signings of the summer.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com