GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Tim Hardaway Jr. has never been a full-time starter in the NBA, but the Knicks view him as one and paid him as one. That’s how Knicks president Steve Mills justified giving Hardaway a four-year, $71-million contract.
Mills said he needed to be “aggressive” to bring back Hardaway and make sure the Hawks didn’t match the contract for the restricted free agent. Reportedly, Atlanta was preparing for Hardaway to get around $45 million over four years. The Knicks blew that number out of the water.
“We watched him, in our opinion, grow over his time in the player development program that they had in Atlanta,” Mills said, speaking for the first time since signing Hardaway.