P.J. Tucker chose to sit out of the Houston Rockets' game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night and "has made it clear" he'd prefer to sit out until the team finds a suitable trade partner to send him to a contender, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim McMahon reported citing league sources.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are among the teams in discussions with the Rockets about Tucker, Wojnarowski and McMahon reported, citing sources.
Tucker has had many battles against the Warriors during the three and a half seasons he has been in Houston, including playoff series in 2018 and 2019. He appeared to be an ideal fit for the Warriors' rotation as a 3-and-D wing who has some experience playing small-ball center for the Rockets, especially after James Harden was traded to Brooklyn.
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Rockets head coach Stephen Silas confirmed after Thursday's loss that the team is working on finding a new home for Tucker.
"We're going to try to figure out something that works for him and works for us as far as him not being on the team anymore," Silas said (h/t ESPN). "I was under the assumption that he was going to be playing tonight, and he didn't play. That was disappointing, but there's no secret that it's been a rough year."
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Warriors fans have been clamoring for Tucker to be acquired using the $9.3 million Disabled Player Exception from Klay Thompson's season-ending injury, but three of the four teams mentioned above are in a much better position to contend for a championship this season than the Warriors, who currently sit at 19-19 and 10th in the Western Conference standings.
Golden State Warriors
Houston now has lost a whopping 14 games in a row and appears destined for a high draft pick and a rebuild.
Unless the Warriors reverse course and elect to go all-in for this season, don't expect to see Tucker coming to the Bay Area before the March 25th NBA trade deadline.