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2025 Free Agents - P.J. Tucker

Tucker became a specialist on offense in Houston, making his living hitting spot-up corner threes at a good rate. While he struggled to hit shots for the Bucks in the 2021 playoffs, he was still able to make an impact by rebounding and playing defense, and helped Milwaukee win the title that year. Over the last two seasons, he shot over 40% from three for the Heat and 76ers. However, he did not get consistent minutes for the Clippers in '23-'24. Tucker is strong enough to battle with guys much bigger than him, which is one of the main reasons the Rockets were comfortable trading Clint Capela and starting Tucker at center, and also why the Bucks, Heat, and 76ers, saw him as a someone that could play some minutes at center. You probably don't want Tucker playing center full-time, but he's capable of doing so, which gives his team options when considering closing lineups or teams that don't have great back-up center options. Tucker can play alongside your starting center in bigger lineups but play as the backup center in the few minutes that your starter rests, so teams that are set at the starting center position but could use a reliable backup, while still having a need at power forward, should be interested in Tucker. This dynamic is what made him a good fit for Miami, as the Heat eventually used Tucker as their backup center deep in the 2022 playoffs. Tucker is limited offensively in that he can't put the ball on the floor for more than a couple dribbles, and he finishes really poorly at the rim. He'll also be 40 years old as a potential free agent in 2025, so there's also a chance he could retire.

Summary

Tucker will be an unrestricted free agent with a $21.9 million cap hold and Full Bird rights, which means the Clippers will have no restrictions on re-signing him. Since his cap hold is likely over his starting salary, his cap hold is not really relevant. Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Tucker as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. It's also likely that Tucker only gets minimum offers, and may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.

Cap Considerations

Garrett Temple (1 year minimum, 2024) DeAndre Jordan (1 year minimum, 2024) Taj Gibson (1 year minimum, 2024)

Player/Contract Comparison

Potential Teams: Suns, Bucks, Cavaliers, Kings, Warriors

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.6 million (non-guaranteed) with the Suns

Last updated: 8/25/2024

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