At the start of the 2023-24 season, experienced basketball player P.J. Tucker was a member of the 76ers. However, Philadelphia made a trade early on in the 2024 season with the Clippers and acquired James Harden, which resulted in Tucker being included in the deal. Since then, the 38-year-old has fallen out of favor with the Clippers and has not played a single game since November 27th.
Unsurprisingly, Tucker is feeling incredibly frustrated by this situation. Despite being in good health, he has been consistently overlooked and has not been given any playing time. There were rumors that Tucker wanted to be traded from the Clippers before the trade deadline, as he has been feeling this way for several months. However, no deal was ever made. Shams Charanoa of The Athletic reported that Tucker will not be present with the team for their game against the Warriors on Wednesday. Instead, he will rejoin the team after the all-star break in an attempt to reset his mindset.
According to Shams Charania, Tucker’s absence from the Clippers is expected to be temporary, and he is likely to rejoin the team after the All-Star break. However, it is important to note that Tucker has been dealing with frustration for several months and has not played a single game in three months. The latest update on Tucker’s situation was provided by ShamsCharania, who stated that Tucker has been away from the team due to his frustrations. The report also highlighted that Tucker has not played a single game in the past three months.
Over the past two and a half months, P.J. Tucker has had every reason to be frustrated with his lack of playing time. Since November 27th, the 38-year-old has not been given the opportunity to step onto the court. In fact, he has been benched for the last 36 consecutive games. Understandably, this led Tucker to express his desire to be traded before the trade deadline. However, his high salary of $11 million for this season, along with a $11.5 million player option for the 2024-25 season, has made it difficult for the Clippers to find a suitable trade deal.
Shams Charania reported that the Clippers and P.J. Tucker recently had a much-needed discussion regarding Tucker’s return to the rotation. Tucker is not asking for much, considering he has missed 37 consecutive games for the Clippers. Throughout the entire season, Tucker has only played in 12 games for LA. One could argue that he has not been given a fair chance to showcase his skills. However, it is worth noting that the team has experienced great success since Tucker was permanently benched, with a record of 28-8 since his last appearance on the court.
In a surprising move, the Clippers reportedly sent P.J. Tucker home two days before the all-star break. This decision was made just before their game against the Warriors. Along with Tucker, Bones Hyland was also sent home and will not be playing in the game. It remains unclear how much playing time, if any, Tucker will receive after the all-star break. His teammate, James Harden, expressed the belief that Tucker needs to focus and hopefully, this will help him regain his spot in the rotation.
According to the Source sportslens.com