Will today be PJ Tucker's last day with the Clippers? It's possible.
Tomorrow we're the final point of the trade deadline, and Tucker is increasingly wanting a trade away from the Clippers. He wants to go to a competitive team and get playing time. In short, Tucker at this age doesn't want to lie flat yet.
When we discuss the oldest player in the league, James has crossed the 39-year-old mark and is stepping towards 40. And what many people don't know is that Tucker is the second-oldest player in the league, he is James five months younger and only one day older than Paul. (May 5, Tucker 85, May 6, Paul 85).
Tucker was a second-round pick in '06 and was drafted by the Raptors, but only lasted 17 games in his first NBA career. In 07, he went overseas to play and played in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, and German leagues.
When Tucker returned to the NBA in 2012, he was 27 years old, and that's when he technically began his NBA career. He stayed with the Suns for five years, made a name for himself here, signed a multi-million contract, and established himself in the NBA.
Before the 2017 trade deadline, the Raptors traded Tucker from the Suns in the expectation that Tucker would be the man who stopped James. But that year, the Cavaliers swept the Raptors 4-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Tucker averaging 8 points per game for 78 rebounds and shot 40 percent of three-pointers. But James in that series averaged 36 points per game and shot 48 from three-point range1%。
Then Tucker went to the Rockets and started one of the most well-known careers for fans. Tucker became an important piece of the puzzle on the Rockets' road to the championship, and his frontcourt rebounds and his bottom corner three-pointers were his signature moments.
But the Rockets ended up losing their first game, but Tucker was lucky to be traded to the Bucks and then picked up the coveted championship. He didn't get it lying down, he started 19 of his 23 playoff games, and his tough defense is still very useful in the playoffs.
So in the summer of 2021, the 36-year-old Tucker can still sign a two-year, 15 million contract with the Heat. Even a year later, the 37-year-old Tucker jumped out of the second year's 7.4 million contract and signed a three-year, 33.2 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Of course, there is also the factor of Harden, and Harden's salary cut has fulfilled the old teammate.
It is worth mentioning that the contract of 33.2 million is the largest contract signed in Tucker's career. Previously, in 2017, Tucker and the Rockets at their peak signed a four-year 32 million contract. The 37-year-old Tucker signed the biggest contract of his career at this age, which is amazing enough.
But at this time, Tucker was already on the verge of the rotation, and he could still grab a few offensive rebounds from time to time and shoot a few three-pointers in the bottom corner, but he had little effect on the team.
After coming to the Clippers with Harden, Tucker was able to get some playing time at first, and even started the first three games. But at this age, Tucker has nothing left. In 15 games this season, Tucker scored 20 points. The last Tucker appeared on November 28, and after he was DNP, the Clippers got better and better, all the way to the north.
It stands to reason that Tucker doesn't need to prove anything at this age, and staying in the league has proven his worth. He could have sat on the bench with peace of mind and done a role similar to Haslem, and he still has a contract of 10 million yuan, so he can lie down in peace.
But apparently Tucker doesn't want to be the next Haslem, he still wants to play to his spare energy, but in the current situation, it's a bit difficult. Whether Tucker can pick up on other teams is another matter, and his contract is a nuisance.
Philadelphia gave him a huge pension contract, which they then threw to the Clippers along with Harden. Tucker still has an 11 million player option next season, and he will definitely exercise the player option to get the money.
The Clippers want to average 1The 3-point Tucker is sent away, and it is impossible not to take advantage of some high-quality assets. But the question is, is Tucker worth it for the Clippers? According to Ballmer's character, he probably doesn't care too much about sitting next to the water cooler with a 10 million annual salary Tucker.
Of course, if Tucker is really traded, it will also be a problem for the Clippers' equipment manager. The more than 250 pairs of sneakers he kept in the equipment management department needed to be packed up by the Clippers' equipment managers and sent to another team.
Part of the reason Tucker wants to play is probably to wear his beloved shoes and continue to fight on the court.