When the Los Angeles Clippers traded for 10-time All-Star guard James Harden early this season, they also acquired another veteran in that same trade who was projected to help them compete for the NBA championship.
P.J. Tucker, a 6-foot-5 forward, came in that same deal from the Philadelphia 76ers, and while he continued to shoot well from 3-point range, as he has for much of his career, he fell out of the Clippers’ rotation after just a few weeks.
But on Friday, he exercised the player option on his contract, which means that, at least for now, he will remain a Clipper, per Shams Charania.
Clippers’ PJ Tucker has exercised his $11.5 million player option for the 2024-25 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/SixNbge63W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 28, 2024
After Tucker was removed from head coach Tyronn Lue’s rotation in late November, he publicly demanded a trade just before the February trade deadline, and as a result, he was fined $75,000 by the NBA.
In March and April, he started to get some playing time again, although it didn’t occur on a regular basis, and he got onto the court for two of L.A.’s six playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks.
Tucker is 39 years of age, but he has the ability to defend at a high level, and that is at least somewhat valuable to a Clippers team that was mediocre defensively this year.
He also played on a championship team just three years ago while with the Milwaukee Bucks, and that type of experience is invaluable to a Clippers franchise that has never reached the NBA Finals.
He will be owed $11.5 million for next season, and thus there is always the chance the Clippers include him as salary ballast in a trade to improve their roster for next season.
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Clippers Are Expected To Lose Key Player In Free Agency
