Getty PJ Tucker
The Milwaukee Bucks have few assets that they can send out for help. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t add some help midseason. One possible option for them is former Buck PJ Tucker. Tucker could very well be on the outs with the Los Angeles Clippers, and if he hits waivers, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer named the Bucks as a possibility.
Fischer outlined how Tucker could potentially reunite with the Bucks.
“The Clippers’ P.J. Tucker remains a strong trade candidate, with the Wizards being mentioned as a possible landing spot, sources said. Washington would offer the opportunity of a buyout for Tucker. The Suns and Bucks are two teams considered possible homes for Tucker if he were to become a free agent, sources said,” Fischer wrote in a January 17 story.
For this to happen, the Wizards could use the trade exception they created from the Kristaps Porzingis trade to acquire Tucker. Tucker makes $11 million, and the Wizards have a $12.3 million exception they could use to absorb him. If the Wizards then waive him
Tucker’s defense and veteran experience helped the Bucks win an NBA championship in 2021. The Bucks’ defense has fallen off a bit this season, as they allow 116.8 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. This ranks No. 22 among NBA teams, which Tucker could help out with. It all depends on if the Clippers actually trade him.
The One Conundrum With Possible PJ Tucker Trade
Though reports have linked Tucker to the Bucks, one potential hangup may prevent a reunion. The Action Network’s Matt Moore reported that, despite Tucker’s wishes, the Clippers may not trade him for one reason.
“The P.J. Tucker situation with the Clippers, where the veteran is out of the rotation, is sticky,” Moore wrote in a January 10 story. “He would prefer a new home where he can contribute, but the only teams interested are direct competitors for the NBA title. The Clippers don’t want to play him, but they don’t want to play against him in a big game environment, either. The Nuggets, 76ers, and Suns are among the interested teams, but likely only if he’s bought out.”
Unlike two of those three teams, the Bucks don’t play in the same conference as the Clippers. Hence, it wouldn’t be an issue if Tucker signed with an Eastern Conference team like them. However, the Clippers may not want to take that chance.
Bucks Have ‘Admiration’ for PJ Tucker
On Christmas Day, 2023, NBA Insider Marc Stein floated the Bucks as one of his former teams who admire Tucker.
“The Bucks and the Heat are two Eastern Conference title contenders that A) are both playing on this Christmas and B) still maintain a healthy level of admiration, league sources say, for the Clippers’ out-of-favor P.J. Tucker,” Stein wrote on Substack.
Stein explained why acquiring him would not be so easy, knowing his age and his contract.
“Tucker, one of the league’s four current 38-year-olds until LeBron James turns 39 on Saturday, has no current role with the Clippers after Philadelphia folded Tucker’s salary into the [James] Harden trade. Tucker, though, is earning $11 million this season and has one more guaranteed season in that same financial ballpark, which obviously complicates his trade market.”
That’s why teams would likely prefer to sign Tucker outright instead of trading for him. Again, it will depend on what the Clippers decide to do with him.