The Los Angeles Clippers and veteran forward P.J. Tucker have mutually agreed to allow Tucker to stay away from the team as both sides work towards a resolution on his future, the Clippers announced Sunday. The Clippers landed Tucker as part of their blockbuster trade acquisition of James Harden in 2023. He had an $11.5 million player option for the 2024-25 season that he chose to exercise.
“We’ve had ongoing conversations with P.J. throughout the offseason and have both decided that he won’t be with the team for the time being,” the Clippers wrote in a statement. “P.J. is a pro who has achieved a lot in his career and there’s more he wants to accomplish. We will continue working with P.J. and his representative to find the best situation for him moving forward.”
Tucker, a former second-round pick who spent five seasons playing abroad before returning to the NBA and establishing himself as a valuable role player, has been among the NBA’s more versatile defensive players over the past decade and change. After steadily growing on lottery-bound Phoenix Suns teams, he broke out after signing with the Houston Rockets in 2018. The Rockets used him as a small-ball center that could stretch the floor and switch across multiple positions. That versatility helped him win a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, nearly make it back to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, and then earn a hefty three-year deal from the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers, however, decided to plan around 2024 cap space and needed to clear their existing contracts off of the books as they looked for a Harden trade. They therefore moved Tucker and his 2024-25 player option in the Harden deal. The Clippers expected Tucker to be a valuable bench player for them, but he struggled to carve out a role. He appeared in only 28 games with Los Angeles, but given his age (39) and those limited opportunities, he recognized that he could not out-earn the $11.5 million he was owed on that option and picked it up.
Still, he would seemingly prefer to be on a team that would be more interested in playing him. The Clippers lost Paul George this offseason, but added a number of defensive-minded wings like Derrick Jones Jr., Nic Batum and Kris Dunn. They don’t have minutes to offer him, so they will now likely seek out a trade with Tucker’s expiring contract. If no trade can be found, it is possible that Tucker and the Clippers eventually agree to a buyout. For now, though, he will keep his distance as he and the team sort all of this out.
