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Their biggest run together came in 2024, when the Mavs reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. Hardy appeared in all five games of the series. "Whenever I was playing alongside Luka, he used to always instill confidence into the young players, tell them to keep going," Hardy said. "That helped me a lot when I was a rookie." "And playing alongside him then in my second year, when we went to the Finals, he was big for me during that time and during that stretch," he added. "He was someone that I could lean on and talk to."
The Lakers and Hawks talked sign-and-trade earlier this summer, but those talks stalled out because Atlanta is not looking to add salary (it is only $3.8 million below the luxury tax line, and Kuminga currently counts as zero for them). Or, at least Atlanta is not interested without a quality draft pick as an incentive, and the Lakers would not go there. Also, Atlanta currently has 17 players under contract heading into training camp and needs to shed at least two, not add players. The Lakers and Hawks are talking sign-and-trade again, with guard Jaden Hardy reportedly in the conversation (he makes $6 million this season), while previously that was Jared Vanderbilt ($12.4 million).
Brian Windhorst: There's still a window there for the Lakers to do a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade deal using Jaden Hardy. But my thing on the whole Jonathan Kuminga sign and trade thing is that for the Hawks to do a sign and trade, they're going to probably end up in the tax unless you can ship someone to a third team who has to be paid. And I've just been very doubtful that unless the Hawks are in love with the situation that they're going to end up, signing and trading Kuminga. The other thing with Kuminga is a sign and trade has to be three years. Doesn't have to be fully guaranteed, but it can't be player options. It'll be team options. And so, if Kuminga can't get a contract number that he likes in the first year, even if it's more money, this is one thing that Lakers fans, you know, the Lakers fans have been sort of putting Kuminga on their team in their head. And look, maybe it does get done, but Kuminga, he wouldn't control his contract. That first year salary, even if it's higher, would be less than he thinks his value is, right or wrong.
Dave McMenamin: ‘Between now and the start of the regular season, they could carry 16 players, they carry up to 20 through training camp, but through now to the start of the regular season, you got to get rid of a player. Whether that's going to be continuing to try to move someone like Jarred Vanderbilt or Dalton Knecht, that they've not had success with thus far, and they've quite frankly tried for a while here, or could it be someone like Jaden Hardy who was picked up in the Deandre Ayton deal that was really more about trying to get some draft assets from Washington and move off of Ayton to make room for your new centers with Kevon Looney and Walker Kessler than it was about necessarily Hardy. That's one thing that absolutely has to happen. So that means their work's not done.’
Khobi Price: What I want to make clear is that the Lakers are more than happy to keep Bronny James. Like they've they've drafted him in the second round two years ago. They developed him. They're a fan of him. They're he has a lot of people who like him within the building so it's not going to be one of those situations where ‘oh yeah, they're just going to send Bronny to wherever LeBron goes.’ Like, it would take something real for the Lakers to want to trade him. Outside of Bronny, I would look at Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy as guys who are more likely to be moved just because of their contract situations. Jaden Hardy has a team option for 2027-28. Dalton Knecht has another also a team option for the following season.
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Dave McMenamin: The Lakers make the Deandre Ayton-Jaden Hardy trade with WAS official. Hardy will wear No. 7 for LAL.
Greg Finberg: FINAL | WAS 112, IND 105: Jaden Hardy: 13 PTS, Carlton Carrington: 13 PTS, Anthony Gill: 13 PTS. The Wizards win (lose) the first game of this tanking battle. Washington didn’t play Champagnie or Watkins and benched 3/5 starters for the final 17 minutes, but a late 14-0 run propelled them to a win.
Marc Stein: The Mavs will now have two first-round picks in June (their own lottery pick and a late selection from this trade) and escape luxury tax purgatory by also moving off Jaden Hardy and D'Angelo Russell ... but Washington lands Anthony Davis without surrendering prized prospects.
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Grant Afseth: Final: Mavericks 144, Jazz 122 Klay Thompson: 26 PTS, 1 REB, 6 AST Naji Marshall: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL Jaden Hardy: 19 PTS, 1 REB, 5 AST Brice Sensabaugh: 27 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST Keyonte George: 17 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST Dallas (16-26) and Utah rematch on Saturday.
Ron Harrod Jr: Mavs guard Jaden Hardy on his relationship with Kyrie Irving: “He’s helped me tremendously ever since he stepped foot in Dallas. He's a guy I can go up to and ask any question ….have a conversation, not even just about basketball, about life. And I look at him as my brother.“
