Tim: Knicks gave up on us too soon

Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded by the Knicks — not once, but twice. The second time was surprising and “disappointing,” the shooting guard said, because about 18 months prior ago he was signed by team president Steve Mills to be a cornerstone of the future alongside Kristaps Porzingis.

When his second stint with the Knicks was finished, Hardaway logged roughly half a season with Porzingis and it felt like unfinished business. They started a surprising 11-10 last season before Hardaway suffered a stress fracture.

Since that point, the Knicks went 31-93 and Porzingis tore his ACL.

“I let them know we definitely had something good going here my first time back with KP and myself in the lineup at the same time. Then I got injured, then he got injured. And then it kind of went downhill from there,” Hardaway Jr. said Monday after his Mavericks were pummeled by the Nets, 127-88. “I let them know what we had was special and I really think they didn’t give us an opportunity to have KP. That’s what I told them. But it is what it is. We move forward.”

To recap this bizarre journey: Hardaway Jr. was drafted by Glen Grunwald, traded by Phil Jackson, then brought back in free agency by Mills on a $71 million contract.

In January, Mills used Hardaway as a salary dump in the trade that also sent Porzingis to Dallas. Courtney Lee, who was also signed by Mills (it was during Jackson’s tenure but Mills drove the bus on that move as the GM), was the other salary dump. The plan: use the cap space to sign Kevin Durant and another max free agent.

Hardaway, though, was clearly upset.

“It was very disappointing. I wanted to be here. I wanted to be here,” the 26-year-old guard said. “I wanted to build something special, but obviously they wanted something different. I’m happy where I am right now.”

Hardaway added that the Knicks never bothered to tell him he was traded.

“I found out from my agent. I didn’t find out from them at all,” he said. “Just goes to show.”

In his 46 games with the Knicks this season, Hardaway averaged 19 points and 36.2 minutes on 39% shooting. In 10 games with the Mavericks, the minutes (28) and scoring (16) are down while the shooting percentage (40) is slightly up.

Hardaway is under contract for two more seasons, so he’ll probably get another chance to play with Porzingis – just not in New York.

“Yeah, it’s mind-blowing and it’s kind of weird when you go back to a team and they trade you again,” he said. “So it’s weird, but at the same time you have to move forward.”