After he and the Rockets agreed he would leave the team while they searched for a trade partner, P.J. Tucker reportedly is drawing interest from the Lakers and Nets, among other contending teams, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
While Houston head coach Stephen Silas indicated he believed Tucker would play on Thursday in the first game out of the All-Star break, Silas agreed it was “a good idea” for Tucker to move on if his heart was not in it. Tucker traveled to Sacramento for the road game, warmed up with the team, and was not on the injury report, but ultimately decided not to play, according to ESPN.
The report also lists the Bucks and Heat as teams that have demonstrated interest in Tucker as a trade candidate. At age 35, Tucker is likely to enter a new phase of his career, perhaps not the heavy-minute small-ball center he was a few years back but still serviceable as a versatile 3-and-D role player.
That type of player should help any team looking to compete for an NBA championship. Milwaukee, for instance, has gone smaller in 2021 and tried to diversify their defense, something Tucker would surely help them do. Miami is looking for a replacement for Jae Crowder and could theoretically find it in Tucker.
Finding a trade shouldn’t be hard thanks to Tucker’s reasonable $8 million salary, so a deal will more likely be contingent upon finding a team that can give the rebuilding Rockets the assets they desire.