In the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, former Dallas Mavericks player Tim Hardaway Jr. was helped off the court in a wheelchair after taking two concerning blows to the head.
The first came when Miami’s Bam Adebayo elbowed him, and shortly after, Hardaway attempted to take a charge from Tyler Herro, only to hit the back of his head on the floor. According to Senior NBA reporter Chris Haynes, Hardaway was hospitalized and underwent a CAT scan, which came back negative—a positive sign given the nature of the injuries. He also received stitches from the elbow but, overall, the initial prognosis seems encouraging.
In a separate move, the Mavericks traded Hardaway Jr. and three future second-round picks to the Pistons in exchange for Quentin Grimes. This trade helped clear cap space for the Mavericks to sign Naji Marshall using the mid-level exception and also created a trade exception, which they used to acquire Klay Thompson.
Hardaway has started all 12 games this season, averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 45.7% from three-point range. This is a notable improvement, as he has never posted a shooting percentage over 40% from beyond the arc in his career. During his six seasons with the Mavericks, he was primarily a bench player but had a standout season, averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 39.1% from three.
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