If PJ Tucker is traded, how can the LA Clippers acquire the forward?
On Wednesday, the NBA world was shocked when a four-team blockbuster deal sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. In the aftermath, many began to wonder what route the Houston Rockets would take. While they did get a lot of draft picks in the deal, they still have veterans in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and the newly acquired Victor Oladipo. The most interesting player left though is PJ Tucker, who several contenders may try and trade for. If the LA Clippers are among those teams, how would they get him?
Before we look at the how, let’s take a second to look at why the Clippers would have an interest in Tucker. The 35-year-old forward would give the team one more versatile player to add to their roster. In Houston, Tucker’s role has been that of a defensive-minded player, guarding both the forward positions as well as the center spot. Last season, Tucker held his opponents to just 44.8% from the field.
On the offensive end, while not any sort of powerhouse, Tucker remains enough of a threat. He shot 35.8% from three last season for Houston and has averaged 37.3% during his time there over the last four seasons. From the corner, Tucker is at his best, converting on 39.6% of his attempts during his time with the Rockets. He’s aware of it too, shooting 71% of his three pointers from the corner.
Tucker would give the Clippers yet another versatile defender and more wing insurance should one of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George need time off.
So now for the how. This is where the issue lies. Tucker is making $7.9 million this season. With the Clippers over the cap, there’s only really one trade that works…
Of course, there would probably be some moving pieces as according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Tucker’s value is seen as three second-round picks. I’m not sure if Lou is more or less valuable than that at this point but the fact remains that this trade is not one Clipper Nation would be all too happy with. Now, while seeing Lou go would hurt, the Clips do have Luke Kennard as a bench scorer at the guard position and would also still have Marcus Morris off the bench. An argument could be made…
Outside of making Tucker’s salary match with Williams, the only other salaries that work are Ivica Zubac and one of the team’s younger players (Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann, or Daniel Oturu) or a combination of Reggie Jackson, Patrick Patterson, and two of the young players. The former probably doesn’t happen because the Clippers don’t have center depth and the latter doesn’t happen because both veteran players are close with Paul George.
There are avenues to get Tucker to the LA Clippers but probably ones that the team isn’t all too thrilled about taking. This front office has surprised us in the past though, so who knows what will happen. In the meantime, keep following along here with us at Clipperholics for all your news, opinions, rumors, and more!