P.J. Tucker remains away from the Los Angeles Clippers to start the season. The Clippers tried to find a trade for the veteran forward at the trade deadline last February and again during the offseason, but could not find a deal they liked.
Now the Clippers are giving his agent a chance to find one, reports Chris Haynes.
Sources: Los Angeles Clippers granted permission for PJ Tucker’s agent Andre Buck to speak with other teams to facilitate working on a trade. Both sides continue working together while the veteran remains away from the team waiting for an opportunity to contribute to winning. pic.twitter.com/RUqXeOgOLE
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 24, 2024
Four teams with playoff aspirations — and all that Tucker has played for before — have some level of interest, reports Kelly Iko and Law Murray of The Athletic. They are Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee and Phoenix.
A number of contenders — including the 76ers, Heat, Bucks and Suns — have held trade conversations with P.J. Tucker’s representation, sources told myself and @LawMurrayTheNU. The 14-year veteran remains away from the team, hopeful for a solution.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) October 25, 2024
“We’ve had ongoing conversations with P.J. throughout the offseason and have both decided that he won’t be with the team for the time being,” the Clippers said during training camp, announcing Tucker would be away from the team. “P.J. is a pro who has achieved a lot in his career and there’s more he wants to accomplish. We will continue working with P.J. and his representative to find the best situation for him moving forward.”
There are two challenges in making a Tucker trade right now. The first is that this early in the season, teams kind of want to see what they have with their roster before making trades for role players. There is no urgency on their part.
The second, more challenging issue is Tucker, 39, makes $11.5 million this season (in the final year of his contract), and the playoff/contending teams he wants to go to are restricted by hard caps and salary-matching requirements tied to luxury tax aprons. The Clippers are also hard-capped at the first apron and are about $600,000 below that number, so they cannot take on more cash in a trade. Any deal will have to be almost exactly dollar-for-dollar, and that’s difficult to put together.
Now Tucker’s agent can at least go look for those deals. The question is if one is out there.