Clippers Give Veteran Permission to Seek Trade

Veteran Los Angeles Clippers forward PJ Tucker will never get an opportunity to suit up for a regular season contest in L.A.'s epic new arena Intuit Dome, after all. Tucker's agent, Andre Buck, has been given the green light to chat with other NBA franchises in pursuit of a trade, per NBA insider Chris Haynes. The versatile vet has been away from the team since the preseason, and will now seek an opportunity elsewhere. The Clippers previously announced that they were hoping to work towards a solution to his future. "P.J. is a pro who has achieved a lot in his career and there's more he wants to accomplish," the Clippers said in a statement earlier this month (via ESPN). "We will continue working with P.J. and his representative to find the best situation for him moving forward." James Harden #1 of the Los Angeles Clippers and P.J. Tucker #17 of the Los Angeles Clippers look on during the second quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November... James Harden #1 of the Los Angeles Clippers and P.J. Tucker #17 of the Los Angeles Clippers look on during the second quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 08, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Tucker is looking to be flipped to another team. At 39, the 6-foot-5 Texas product is one of the league's oldest players, but could still have value for a rival club. The big sticking point going forward is his expiring $11.5 million contract for the 2024-25 season. Tucker is more of a minimum contract-level player at this phase of his career, but he could certainly still have value as a two-way piece — albeit closer to the end of the bench. Los Angeles had been hoping to deal away Tucker's contract to another club during the team's offseason but evidently didn't find any takers. Now, it will be up to Buck to find a good fit. Read more: Clippers Next Offseason Priority Revealed Following Russell Westbrook Trade The veteran combo forward has been a valuable 3-and-D option on several deep playoff clubs. His acquisition midway through the 2020-21 season helped the Milwaukee Bucks claim that franchise's first championship in 50 years. In 883 career regular-season bouts (666 starts), Tucker has averaged 6.6 points on .425/.366/.750 shooting splits, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals, while also submitting stellar man-to-man defense. Tucker split his 2023-24 season between the Philadelphia 76ers and Clippers (his contract was included in the deal that shipped out James Harden to L.A.). Across 31 combined contests in 2023-24 (10 starts) as a fringe rotation player for two playoff squads, Tucker averaged 1.7 points while slashing .360/.371/1.000, 2.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals a night. Those stats don't scream "$11.5 million contract" to anyone. What seems a likelier fate for Tucker is a contract buyout negotiation, where he will most likely need to give back a bit of his guaranteed money in exchange for the Clippers releasing him, which will allow him to sign anywhere in free agency. Two of Tucker's old stomping grounds, the Bucks and the Sixers, both seem like intriguing fits for his services as a locker room leader and perhaps a semi-rotation player. For all the latest and greatest Clippers news, visit Newsweek Sports.