Veteran defensive ace PJ Tucker is frustrated he hasn’t been traded from the Houston Rockets to a title contender, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon. Tucker was a healthy scratch in Thursday’s game in Sacramento, and uncertainty over his personal situation seems to explain why.
“He’s not on the team,” said head coach Stephen Silas after Tucker’s game. He travels back to Houston. We are going to try to come up with something that works for him and for us, as long as he is no longer on the team. … He decided he just wasn’t really there, and we decided that was a good idea. Let’s move on.”
Now 35 years old, Tucker is in the final year of his existing contract and appears to be a strong candidate to be traded before the NBA’s March 25 deadline. Now that the Rockets (11-24) have lost 14 consecutive games, which is the longest slip for the franchise in more than 20 years, there’s little reason for them to risk him leaving without compensation in the off-season. In addition, Tucker – who has not won an NBA title in his career – is likely to compete in the 2021 playoffs.
Tucker is still greatly appreciated for his defense and leadership, but his lack of production on offense seems to limit one of the league’s worst offenses. The 6-foot-5 forward scores an average of 4.4 points (36.6% FG, 31.4% on 3-pointers), 4.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 30.0 minutes per game, with all those numbers the worst of his four seasons in Houston. However, many in the NBA believe that his production could be revived if he got around better players and in a warring environment
According to ESPN, the Rockets thought they were about to sign Tucker to a two-year contract extension, $ 17 million earlier this season, with only $ 10 million guaranteed. However, Tucker’s camp reportedly responded by asking for a two-year deal worth $ 24 million, fully guaranteed. With Houston’s warranty offer of less than half of what Tucker was looking for, it’s understandable why the differences weren’t reconciled.