PJ Tucker frustrated that he hasn’t been traded; return to Houston Rockets uncertain

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker, increasingly frustrated that he has yet to be traded to a contender, was a healthy scratch on Thursday night and uncertainty remains as to when he will return to the lineup, sources told ESPN.

The Rockets have had several trade talks with teams involving Tucker in recent weeks – talks that are expected to result in a deal for Tucker ahead of its March 25 trading deadline, sources said.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are among the teams that have discussed possible deals with the Rockets in recent weeks, sources said.

So far, the Rockets’ preference for a young, prolific rotational player in trade talks has been a sticking point with teams unwilling to part with those kinds of assets for a 35-year-old with an expiring contract, sources said.

The Rockets have been ravaged by injury, falling 125-105 on Thursday night at the expense of the Sacramento Kings for their 14th straight defeat.

Tucker traveled to Sacramento with the Rockets and warmed up before the game, but he didn’t fit with the team on the bench. He was not on the injury report.

Tucker, 35, was a key player during his 3.5-year tenure with the Rockets, contributing significantly more than his 6.5-point average and 5.8 rebounds per game indicate. He has often defended the opposing team’s top scorer – the playing center despite standing just 6 feet (1.85 meters) last season during Houston’s short-lived small-ball experiment – and primarily served as a three-point threat on the corner that attacked off the floor. held each other. Tucker is in the final season of a $ 32 million four-year deal. The Rockets did not guarantee the deal’s last year until February 2020.

Tucker, who played in 267 consecutive games until a bruised thigh sidelined him for two games in February, reported to training camp late this fall, acknowledging that he felt unappreciated after discussions about a contract extension failed.

The Rockets thought they were about to sign Tucker for a two-year extension of $ 17 million with $ 10 million guaranteed, sources said, but Houston’s front office declined after Tucker’s camp submitted a proposal for a fully-guaranteed two-year deal worth $ 24 million. .

Tucker has had a tough time this season amid the rockets roster shuffle following the Russell Westbrook and James Harden trades, taking career lows in points per game (4.4), field goal percentage (36.6%). ) and 3-point percentage (31.4%).