Hardaway (back) has been cleared for Wednesday's contest versus Indiana.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway appeared on Wednesday's injury report due to lower back spasms, but the 32-year-old is officially active to begin the season. He is a top candidate to start at small forward.

Hardaway has been downgraded to probable for Wednesday's regular-season opener versus Indiana due to back spasms.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway being deemed probable as opposed to questionable still puts him on track to play Wednesday, but his status will need to be monitored. Simone Fontecchio and Malik Beasley could see upticks in usage if Hardaway is forced to sit.

Hardaway is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's preseason game against Cleveland, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway continues alternating roles with Malik Beasley, as the latter will come off the bench Wednesday. Hardaway is joined by Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in Detroit's three-guard starting lineup Wednesday.

Hardaway will come off the bench during Sunday's preseason game against the Warriors.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway has been in and out of the starting lineup throughout preseason action, but he will come off the bench Sunday. Hardaway will look to bounce back from a poor performance Friday, where he logged just three points (1-5 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) over 22 minutes.

Hardaway closed with three points (1-5 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes during Friday's preseason victory.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway replaced Malik Beasley in the starting lineup but offered very little in terms of tangible production. Brought over to Detroit to provide the team with floor-spacing, Hardaway could be a viable streaming candidate, in theory. Unfortunately, his offensive upside is very limited and in recent times, he has been woeful from the field. Despite starting here, Hardaway will likely begin the season on the bench, making him a non-factor outside of very deep formats.

Hardaway is in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Pistons are tweaking their starting unit for this matchup, and Hardaway will replace Malik Beasley in the lineup. This will be Hardaway's second start of the preseason, but all signs point to him opening the regular season against the Pacers on Oct. 23 on a bench role.

Hardaway will come off the bench in Tuesday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway started in the club's preseason opener against the Bucks on Sunday, but he will retreat to the bench with Malik Beasley entering the starting five. Hardaway is expected to provide a spark off the bench during the regular season, and he will likely compete for minutes with Beasley and Marcus Sasser behind Jaden Ivey.

Hardaway will start Sunday's preseason game against the Bucks, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway will get the start with Tobias Harris (illness) out of the lineup. Hardaway was sent to Detroit in a deal involving Quentin Grimes, and he should be able to carve out a solid role for his new team.

The Mavericks traded Hardaway and three second-round picks to the Pistons on Friday in exchange for Quentin Grimes, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway was a consistent contributor for Dallas over the past five seasons, and he maintained his production during the 2023-24 campaign despite coming off the bench in most appearances. Over 79 regular-season appearances last year, he averaged 14.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game, but his role decreased once the playoffs began. Hardaway should be able to carve out a decent role on the wing with the Pistons after Dallas elected to move on from him, largely to clear some cap space.

Hardaway posted 17 points (6-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), two rebounds and one assist over 19 minutes during Thursday's 119-110 win over Oklahoma City in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

EDGE Analysis

Hardaway stepped his game up off the bench and provided a scoring boost to the second unit, and his contributions proved to be much-needed as the Mavericks evened the series with a huge road win. Hardaway can go hot or cold in any given game, but he should remain an important cog of the Mavericks' rotation during this playoff run.