Sixers Trade Target P.J. Tucker Lands With Eastern Conference Contender
For the last couple of months, the Philadelphia 76ers have been linked to several trade candidates who are rumored to be on the NBA's trade block. Some were superstars, while others were role players and reserves.
One name that remained consistently linked to the Sixers was Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker. Considering Sixers' President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey used to run Houston's front office, it comes as no surprise the 76ers were in on the disgruntled and respected veteran forward.
Reports have stated that Tucker was open to joining the 76ers and would relish being in Philly while other Eastern Conference executives fully expected Morey to land his guy after missing out on James Harden earlier in the year.
But as Tucker trade talks heated up as of late, the Sixers slowly starting fading out of the picture. Perhaps, the rumored price was too much for Morey and the Sixers to give up. According to reports, the Rockets wanted a second-round pick and a young, productive player on a favorable contract.
Some teams remained in the mix as Tucker stopped competing for the Rockets recently. The Sixers seemingly weren't one of them.
At this point, it's clear Tucker won't be a part of Philly's playoff run after all. On Wednesday night, as the 76ers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks, Tucker ended up landing with the opponent. Just as the National Anthem was being performed five minutes before tip-off, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Milwaukee struck a deal with the Rockets, landing Tucker as the headliner of the package.
"The Bucks are sending guard D.J. Augustin and forward D.J. Wilson to the Rockets for Tucker and forward Rodions Kurucs, sources said. The key to completing the deal includes the redirecting of draft picks the two teams had previously traded in the offseason. Houston is pushing back the 2022 first-round pick Milwaukee owes it to the unprotected 2023 draft, sources said. The Rockets get the right to swap their 2021 second-round pick for the Bucks' 2021 first-round pick -- unless the Bucks' pick somehow falls 1-9, sources said."
With Tucker off to Milwaukee, a desired stretch-four for the Sixers goes off the board right before the NBA trade deadline. While Tucker wasn't the end-all-be-all for the Sixers, he was one of a very few candidates consistently linked to Philly.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
