Hawks will not match Knicks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. offer sheet

The Atlanta Hawks will not match the restricted offer sheet for Tim Hardaway Jr. He will officially sign with the Knicks on a four-year, $71 million deal.

Tim Hardaway Jr. will be returning to the team that drafted him. After Hardaway signed a four-year offer sheet worth $71 million, the Atlanta Hawks decided not to match the offer and the player will be returning to New York. Hardaway, 25, was originally drafted by the Knicks 24th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. The former Michigan standout had a breakout season in Atlanta which prompted the high offer sheet.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was the first to report the news of Atlanta’s intentions not to match.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is the son of former NBA player Tim Hardaway. Interestingly enough, this deal his son will sign is more money than he ever made in his entire NBA career. The elder Hardaway was a heck of a player during his time and averaged 17.7 points per game during his career. Hardaway Jr., on the other hand, scored a career-high 14.5 points per game in 2016-2017.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard has turned into a really solid player this past year. His .357 percent clip from 3-point range makes him very valuable in the modern day NBA. While an offer worth $17.75 million per year seems a bit high, that’s simply the market for free agency. In addition to the deal, Hardaway is unlikely to be traded again as his new deal included a 15 percent trade kicker and fourth-year player option.

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The Knicks decision to bring him back is a curious one from a sense that the team traded him just two years ago. New York traded him to Atlanta for Jerian Grant, who was then used to trade for Derrick Rose. Oddly enough, Rose was then renounced to make room to sign Hardaway Jr. Sounds confusing, but that’s the Knicks for you.