2 Former Sixers Linked to Milwaukee Bucks After Doc Rivers Addition

Despite being the second-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks were willing to make some major changes before approaching the All-Star break.

After struggling to buy into the first-year head coach Adrian Griffin’s vision, the Bucks cut ties with the head coach much earlier than anybody expected. At this point, they’ve officially replaced Griffin with former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Rivers might not be the only former Sixer who could find his way out to Wisconsin. As the Bucks are searching for trade deadline acquisitions to boost their title odds, Fischer mentioned a handful of Milwaukee’s targets, which includes Matisse Thybulle and PJ Tucker.

Just last season, Thybulle and Tucker played for Rivers on the Sixers. While Thybulle was a homegrown prospect after getting acquired by the team in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, Thybulle’s run with the Sixers concluded at the trade deadline, as he was moved to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Tucker finished the year with the Sixers, being a part of their playoff run, which concluded in round two. Although he started the 2023-2024 season off on the Sixers, Tucker’s run in Philly lasted just three games this season. Involved in the crossfire of James Harden’s saga, Tucker was shipped out to the Los Angeles Clippers along with the ten-time All-Star.

At this point, Tucker is no longer a part of the Clippers’ rotation. And since they’ve been thriving over the last couple of months, there hasn’t been a reason for LA to shake up their rotation and add Tucker in.

As a result, Tucker has become a popular trade candidate and a possible buyout candidate. In the event Tucker is available for the right price on the trade market — or becomes available in the buyout market — the Bucks seem likely to search for a reunion, especially with Rivers in the building, who was quite fond of Tucker in Philadelphia.

As for Thybulle, he’s a much tougher get. Despite playing for a Portland Trail Blazers team, who might be sellers this year, Thybulle hasn’t been mentioned as potential trade bait for the Blazers at this point in the season.

While that could change, the veteran defensive standout has the power to veto a deal if he’s unwilling to join a specific team. As Sean Highkin pointed out on Wednesday, signing off on a trade to reunite with Doc Rivers might not be in the veteran’s best interest.

During Thybulle’s final run with the Sixers, his playing time was at an all-time low. After averaging over 20 minutes on the court through his first two seasons under Rivers, Thybulle found himself taking the court for just 12 minutes per game in his final 49 outings in Philadelphia. Since he fell out of favor with Rivers on the Sixers, it’s hard to imagine the Blazers’ veteran would be pouncing on the opportunity to work with Rivers again.