As they officially end the Paul George era, the Los Angeles Clippers are preparing to make another roster change.
Law Murray of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Clippers are poised to split ways with veteran forward P.J. Tucker. Tucker could be traded or waived and stretched, according to Murray.
Tucker, a former NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, came to Los Angeles as part of the James Harden-Philadelphia 76ers transaction last November. While Tucker has served well as a gritty 3-and-D role player throughout his career, it is evident that he was only a cost for the Clippers in their acquisition of Harden. Tucker only appeared in 30 games for the Clippers this season (regular season and playoffs), and he became quite dissatisfied with the team after being removed from the rotation midway. He even tried to force a trade at one point, but was eventually sent home by the Clippers.
Tucker did return to play a few minutes in the Clippers’ first-round defeat to the Dallas Mavericks (and made 36.7 percent of his threes on the season), but it’s evident he doesn’t have much more to offer. Tucker’s poor Clippers averages of 1.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last year imply that his NBA career is coming to an end at 39.
Tucker recently made a no-brainer decision by accepting his $11.5 million player option for next season. However, because it is also the final year of Tucker’s deal, the Clippers will find it much easier to part ways with him. The Clippers have also added additional veterans to their frontcourt in recent days, setting the scenario for Tucker’s likely departure.
