The Clippers have found a groove, winning five of their last six games while settling on a rotation that keeps players happy.
Except for veteran P.J. Tucker. He is glued to the bench — he has not taken the court in six games, with rookie Kobe Brown getting those minutes. Tucker is frustrated. Word of that frustration and Tucker’s openness to a trade leaked out — the report says other teams are monitoring the situation — and on Monday night, after the Clippers beat the Trail Blazers, Tucker addressed it with Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points.
“I don’t have a role on this team right now. I’m not playing. I’m out of the lineup. It was a decision that was made, and I’m living with it right now. But obviously, I feel like I still got a lot to contribute to a team to be able to win, whether that’s here or somewhere else...
“I know myself, my worth. I know what I bring. I know what I’ve brought. I know what I can continue to bring. And with that, I want to be able to go to a good team that I can be able to help that.”
There’s no doubt there are playoff teams around the league keeping an eye on the situation, Tucker is still a respected veteran. However, those teams also know that at age 38, Tucker is not the player he was five years ago. Tucker is shooting 27.3% from 3 this season and is not the same defender he once was (although he’s still solid on that end).
Los Angeles might be open to trading Tucker but he makes $11 million this season with a player option he undoubtedly will pick up for $11.4 million next season. That’s a lot to take on. With that, teams are not going to send the Clippers a player or pick of much value to get a trade done straight up, it would be more of a deal where teams swap players that don’t fit the system. Or, the Clippers might have to attach a sweetener — a pick or young player — to get a better player returned in a trade.
It’s something to monitor as we move into the NBA trade season. Expect Tucker’s name to come up a fair amount.
