Update on P.J. Tucker and other veterans hitting NBA buyout market

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 2/9/24

For teams that didn't (or couldn't) upgrade their rosters ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, the upcoming buyout market presents an opportunity to do so.

Thus far, the players we know for certain will be a part of the market include Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Killian Hayes, Danuel House, Robin Lopez and Marcus Morris.

The players who could potentially join the pool if they secure buyouts from their respective teams include Kyle Lowry, Derrick Rose, Davis Bertans, Seth Curry, Evan Fournier, Danilo Gallinari, Cory Joseph, Patty Mills, Cedi Osman and Delon Wright.

P.J. Tucker was another veteran widely expected to be bought out, if not traded, considering his absence from the Clippers lineup since late November. Unfortunately, teams that were hoping to acquire Tucker´s defensive prowess were dealt some bad news on Thursday.

According to Marc Spears of Andscape, a buyout from the Clippers "appears unlikely" for Tucker, who reacted furiously after going untraded Thursday, writing "All this s--t is a f--king joke" on Instagram. The post is embedded below, but beware that it is uncensored.

Earlier, Tucker made it clear to Spears that he was desperate to be traded, hoping to contribute meaningful minutes to a playoff team.

"I want to be somewhere where I'm needed, wanted and can do it all," Tucker said ahead of the trade deadline. "I don't know what's going to happen but I have my fingers crossed and I'm hoping to go somewhere else whether I get bought out and choose where I go or where I can play."

Another reason for Tucker not securing a buyout was offered by ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, who was told that it "wouldn’t make financial sense for P.J. Tucker to take a buyout and give up a lot of money."

Tucker played only 12 games for the Clippers after arriving from Philadelphia as part of the James Harden trade last November. Since then, coach Tyronn Lue has settled into a steady 9- or 10-man rotation that has no place for the 37-year-old Tucker.

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