P.J. Tucker, at age 37, is the kind of gritty, physical defender who can knock down a corner three that would fit beautifully in the Philadephia 76ers system.
Tucker is a free agent, but the 76ers have to clear out some cap room to get in the mix him, and with that are looking to trade Matisse Thybulle and the No. 23 pick, reports Keith Pompey at the Philadelphia Inquirer.Now, [Rockets GM Daryl Morey] is pursuing former Houston power forward P.J. Tucker, league sources confirm. Sources have also said the Sixers are looking to make a three-team trade that could involve Matisse Thybulle and the No. 23 pick to create space. Sources have said the Sixers are attempting to trade Tobias Harris, but they are having a tough time getting teams to take on his lucrative contract...
Multiple sources have the Sixers intending to offer him a three-year, $30 million contract. Time will tell what will happen. But a source added that there’s mutual interest between Tucker, 37, and the Sixers.
Tucker likely will get multiple offers around the mid-level exception ($10.4 million), but he is looking for the security of multiple years. If the Sixers put three years on the table, that may well be enough to sign him.
However, the 76ers don’t have the cap space to sign Tucker outright, which is where the trade comes in.
Thybulle, 25, is a two-time All-Defensive Team player and one of the better on-ball perimeter defenders in the NBA. However, his offensive game has never progressed, and 76ers coach Doc Rivers found it difficult to play him key minutes in the postseason because opposing teams could help off him. Thybulle will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season and become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023, and the 76ers are making it clear they would rather spend that money elsewhere.
After a playoffs where it was clear that even with James Harden this team was not ready to contend, expect Morey and the 76ers to be aggressive in trying to upgrade while Joel Embiid is at his peak.
