Denver, CO — Tim Hardaway Jr. delivered one of the most efficient and productive seasons of his 13-year NBA career as a key spark off the bench for the Denver Nuggets in 2025-26. A Sixth Man of the Year finalist who drained a career-high 40.7% of his threes while averaging 13.5 points per game, Hardaway now faces an uncertain future as an unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year, league-minimum deal last offseason.
But according to his father, the sharpshooter’s story in Denver may not be over.
During a recent appearance on the Run It Back show, Tim Hardaway Sr. offered strong praise for his son’s fit with the Nuggets and made it clear he believes Denver should bring him back. In what many are interpreting as a telling hint about the family’s thinking, the elder Hardaway didn’t hold back when discussing the team’s outlook for next season.
“I still think they need Tim Hardaway Jr. there to come off the bench, and to play a significant role for their team,” Tim Sr. said.
The comment lands at a pivotal moment. The Nuggets, coming off a postseason run hampered by injuries, are expected to hunt for cost-effective veteran additions once again this summer. Hardaway Jr., who started 74 of his 80 regular-season games from the bench, proved to be exactly the type of reliable floor-spacer and scorer they lacked at times.
Beyond the regular-season numbers — 2.8 made threes per game (224 total, 10th in the NBA) — Hardaway held up reasonably well in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While his scoring dipped to 10.8 points per game and his three-point shooting fell to 34.8%, the entire Nuggets roster struggled to find rhythm in the series. His father pointed directly to health as the decisive factor.
“If they were 100% healthy, I think they could have beat the Timberwolves,” Hardaway Sr. said.
That perspective echoes what many Nuggets observers have expressed. Nikola Jokić was visibly limited after his knee injury, and the team dealt with inconsistent availability from several key rotation players, including Aaron Gordon. Tim Sr. suggested the core group still has unfinished business if it can stay healthy.
For Hardaway Jr., a return to Denver would represent a chance to continue capitalizing on the best three-point shooting season of his career while playing alongside one of the league’s most dominant offenses. At this stage of his career, the 33-year-old has thrived in a defined bench role that maximizes his shooting strengths without asking him to carry a heavy defensive or playmaking burden.
Whether the Nuggets share Tim Sr.’s optimism remains to be seen. Denver’s front office must balance the books carefully while addressing depth and injury concerns. Yet the elder Hardaway’s comments have already sparked speculation that the family is signaling a desire to return — a “father knows best” moment that could foreshadow serious negotiations once free agency opens.
If the Nuggets do bring Hardaway Jr. back, they’d be adding a proven veteran who understands the system, delivers elite spacing, and has already shown he can contribute meaningfully in their playoff push. For a franchise that values continuity and smart, low-risk veteran additions, the fit still looks compelling.
The coming weeks will reveal whether Tim Hardaway Sr.’s on-air enthusiasm was simply a proud father speaking — or an accidental leak of where his son truly wants to be next season.