Why Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Heat Will Hurt the Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have had a quiet 2026 offseason, with only a few noteworthy roster additions in Marvin Bagley III, Alpha Diallo, and rookie Trevon Brazile. Unfortunately for them, their losses have outweighed their additions so far.

This summer, the Nuggets have lost Bruce Brown, Jalen Pickett, Jonas Valanciunas, and most importantly, Tim Hardaway Jr. The 34-year-old guard finished third in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Nuggets last season, proving himself after a down year with the Detroit Pistons, and it earned him a more generous payday in free agency.

Hardaway Jr. spent the 2025-26 season in Denver on a veteran minimum contract, so he jumped at the opportunity to get more money this offseason. He left for the Miami Heat after they offered him a one-year deal worth around $6 million, making it an easy decision for him, especially as he gets the chance to follow in his father's footsteps, who was an All-Star in Miami.

"I thought we hung this number up there."

Heat president Pat Riley as he presents Tim Hardaway Jr. his No. 10 jersey, previously worn by his father Tim Hardaway Sr. 😅

(via @WillManso)pic.twitter.com/4lksZtN9WX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 8, 2026

Of course, it is easy to see that Hardaway Jr.'s departure will hurt the Nuggets, but let's look more closely at how they will actually be impacted by the loss.

Three-point shooting

Last season, the Nuggets led the NBA in three-point percentage to help them toward having the league's top-ranked offense. Most importantly, they led the league in wide-open three-point percentage, and a bulk of that came from Hardaway Jr.

Hardaway Jr. led the Nuggets in wide-open three-point percentage (49.5%) last season, while shooting 40.7% on all three-point attempts.

2025-26 Most Accurate Wode-Open 3P Shooters per team…

Don’t help off these guys pic.twitter.com/bgVpgoavdQ
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) August 19, 2026

Granted, the Nuggets as a group were incredible from beyond the arc, with five players shooting above 45% on wide-open three-point attempts. As a team, they shot 42.8% on such attempts, leading the NBA by a wide margin, but not having Hardaway Jr. in their second unit this season will make it hard to replicate that success.

Hardaway Jr. made the second-most threes of any Nuggets player last season, trailing only Jamal Murray, and led all NBA bench players in three-pointers. The Heat are hoping Hardaway Jr. can keep his rhythm this season, while the Nuggets are hoping someone can fill his shoes.

Quetionable guard depth

To fill his shoes, the Nuggets really only have one solution, and it is far from a guarantee. Right now, the Nuggets' only backup shooting guard is Julian Strawther, who has the potential to have a similar impact as Hardaway Jr., although he still has much to prove.

Game 6 Julian Strawther pic.twitter.com/4Rlo0IiTfh
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) May 16, 2025

Last season, Strawther averaged 7.2 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc. When he finds his rhythm, he is one of Denver's best sharpshooters, but it will come down to whether or not he can do it consistently.

It was likely beneficial for Strawther to learn from Hardaway Jr. for a season, but these are very large shoes to fill for the 24-year-old guard. The Nuggets can be optimistic about Strawther's ability, but time will tell if he has it in him.

Losing Hardaway Jr. is just a massive blow to Denver's second unit, and one they might not be able to recover from. Especially if the Nuggets also lose Peyton Watson this offseason, there will be far too many question marks around Denver's bench.

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