P.J. Tucker has made his dissatisfaction with his current situation as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers abundantly clear, highlighting his displeasure over his diminished playing time and asserting that joining the team was never his choice. The NBA recently fined him $75,000 for a public trade request.
“I feel like I shouldn’t have to go through this,” Tucker told ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly. “I didn’t ask to be here. I didn’t ask for and I didn’t demand a trade to be here.”
Tucker arrived at the Clippers as part of the trade that also brought James Harden to the team in October, serving more as a contractual inclusion to balance finances than a strategic acquisition.
Initially receiving a fair amount of playing time, his involvement dramatically decreased by November due to underperformance, culminating in his complete removal from the rotation after a series of scoreless games.
Efforts to trade Tucker were unsuccessful, hindered by his significant $11.5 million salary for the next season, making a buyout an unlikely resolution. At 38, Tucker’s career is nearing its end, and the lack of playing time affects his current state and could also accelerate his departure from professional basketball.
Tucker is expected to use the All-Star break to distance himself from the team, hoping to rejoin the lineup when the group returns to competition. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue discussed how after Tucker was not moved at the trade deadline, he will have a chance to work his way back into the mix.
“When you’ve got guys like PJ, who have another year left on his deal, he can ride off into the sunset, he’s 70 years old,” Lue told reporters Wednesday. “But he wants to play, he wants to compete. And so you understand that you want guys like that.
“So the trade didn’t happen, they’re going to be here,” Lue explained. “So we’re just gonna give them a little time off, get their minds right, and come back [for] Oklahoma City and be ready to go.”
The Clippers have not needed Tucker’s services to have success this season, with superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Harden helping to lead an impressive run since the team started 0-5 with Harden after the midseason trade, going 33-10 since that point.
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