P.J. Tucker, who had previously sought a trade, will stay with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024-25 season after exercising his $11.5 million player option.
At one point, P.J. Tucker wanted to leave the Los Angeles Clippers, but he will remain with the team for the 2024-25 season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the forward has opted into his $11.5 million player option for the upcoming season.
The Clippers acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers early last season as part of the trade that also brought James Harden to Los Angeles. While Harden was the centerpiece of the trade, Tucker soon found himself out of the rotation.
In February, he told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that he was “actively trying to get traded,” leading to a $75,000 fine from the NBA for his public comments.
During this past season, Tucker played in 28 games, averaging 1.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.
Los Angeles also played him in Games 5 and 6 of its first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and he scored 11 total points across the two contests. Dallas ended up winning the series in six games.
Despite the up-and-down season with the Clippers for Tucker, Scotto reported in May he was expected to exercise his player option. Ultimately, this isn’t a surprising move considering the 39-year-old likely wouldn’t have received such an offer as a free agent at this point of his career.
Tucker won a title in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in 12th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2013-14 for the Phoenix Suns. He has also provided veteran leadership for a number of teams during a career that includes stops with the Toronto Raptors, Suns, Houston Rockets, Bucks, Miami Heat, 76ers and Clippers.
This decision provides some continuity with Los Angeles as he looks to add to the 104 playoff games on his resume and chase another championship.
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