NBA Trade Rumors: Toronto Raptors Interested In Markieff Morris, P.J. Tucker
By Justin Rowan
P.J. Tucker may be the one that got away for a Toronto team looking to establish a tougher identity
P.J. Tucker played his rookie year for the Toronto Raptors in 2006-07, only seeing action in 17 games that year before spending time playing in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany. Tucker re-entered the NBA in 2012-13 with the Phoenix Suns and since then has established himself as a gritty defender and hustle player with a respectable three-point shot.
Tucker is 6-foot-6 and a career 35.6 percent three-point shooter. He can bring a lot of the toughness Toronto fans have come to love from James Johnson, without being as hazardous to the spacing on the floor. He also averages 5.5 rebounds per game for his career, a very strong number for a wing player.
The other incentive to targeting Tucker would be the reduced cost in comparison to Morris. If they are just looking for a “nice pick” as Stein reported, the likely-to-be-converted Knicks pick seems to fill that description. So depending on whether or not there is a bidding war for Tucker, he seems like an obtainable player.
Next: Negatives of P.J. Tucker