Report: Joel Embiid pushing for 76ers to sign P.J. Tucker

Joel Embiid is apparently getting involved in the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason process.

Veteran basketball writer Marc Stein reported on Thursday that Embiid is giving his strong backing to the 76ers’ upcoming pursuit of veteran forward P.J. Tucker. The 37-year-old Tucker will be an unrestricted free agent after declining his $7.4M player option with the Miami Heat for next year.

Tucker is the kind of role player any contender would love to have. He does the dirty work on defense and on the offensive glass with some automatic corner threes sprinkled in as well. Tucker helped the Milwaukee Bucks win an NBA title in 2021 and started 70 games for the Heat this past season en route to a No. 1 seed and an Eastern Conference Finals berth.

Reports are that the 76ers could be throwing a borderline absurd contract at Tucker once free agency officially opens. Perhaps that is in part because Embiid has given his blessing for the team to go out and get Tucker.