Report: P.J. Tucker not joining Sixers would be considered a surprise
Free agency is right around the corner in the NBA and the Philadelphia 76ers figure to be one of the teams who will be active at this point as they look to put the right pieces around Joel Embiid and James Harden.
One name that has continued to pop up for the Sixers has been P.J. Tucker who played with Harden with the Houston Rockets with Daryl Morey in their organization as well at the time. Tucker was also mentioned by name by Embiid after Tucker’s Miami Heat eliminated the Sixers in the playoffs.
There was a report by The Bucks County Courier’s Tom Moore that Tucker is unlikely at this point, but per NBA veteran reporter Marc Stein via his substack, it would be a surprise if Tucker does not join the Sixers:
I’ve been writing for days about the growing belief among rival teams that the Sixers will successfully lure P.J. Tucker away from Miami in free agency with a three-year deal in the $30 million range. One key option to note that Harden possesses is declining next season’s $47.4 million to ultimately sign a new three-year deal with the Sixers in free agency that starts at a lower number and helps create some extra flexibility immediately for Philadelphia to help facilitate the Tucker signing. Sources insisted again Sunday night that it would be very surprising at this point if the anticipated Harden/Tucker/Morey reunion in Philly collapses.
Tucker does check a lot of boxes for the Sixers such as bringing both mental and physical toughness to the team, being able to knock down a corner triple, and experience with Harden. All of those things are positives for Philadelphia as they move forward with their new team.
With free agency set to begin on Thursday, the Sixers would have to clear more cap space in order to sign Tucker. That means there should be more trades on the horizon leading up to Thursday evening.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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3 reasons why Sixers should target new free agent P.J. Tucker in 2022
