NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Trade For P.J. Tucker

1. Toronto Raptors

There are several variations of this trade that we could see happen before Feb. 18, but this is the most likely destination for P.J. Tucker. Not only has Stein reported that the Toronto Raptors are interested in both Tucker and Markieff Morris, but with DeMarre Carroll and James Johnson out for the foreseeable future, the Raptors need players exactly like these.

In this first rendition of the trade, the Raptors deal for only Tucker, since Keef is not as solid on the defensive end as Patrick Patterson and also doesn’t stretch the floor to three-point territory (29 percent from deep) with the same efficiency that Patterson or Luis Scola do (44.2 percent in January and 43.3 percent, respectively).

Tucker would provide Toronto with an immediate replacement for Carroll on the wing, which would be useful for a team that’s been starting James Johnson at the 3 for the time being. To balance salaries, the Raptors would also have to include one of their minimum/rookie salary guys in addition to the “nice” pick that ESPN’s Marc Stein says Phoenix would be aiming for:

In the first rendition, the Raptors include rookie point guard Delon Wright, a combo guard who hasn’t found a role in the rotation has only appeared in 12 games total. The Suns love their combo guards and are surprisingly shorthanded in the backcourt due to injuries to Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price.

Wright would get a chance to come in and play right away. If he proved himself, perhaps the Suns would think more strongly about moving the increasingly expendable Knight; if not, he’s a potential trade chip in another future deal for the Suns, who will be looking to shake things up moving forward in more ways than just a P.J. Tucker trade.

If the Suns aren’t interested in Wright, perhaps they’d ask for Bruno Caboclo, Toronto’s puzzling 20th overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft who was projected as being “a few years away from being a few years away.”

At 20 years old, he’s played in a grand total of 10 games through the first one and a half seasons of his NBA career, but if the Suns go all-in on this youth movement they should be pursuing, Caboclo could be a product worth checking out — especially for a team that would have no true small forward with T.J. Warren injured and Tucker on the way out.

If Caboclo’s skill set is a little bit too raw for Phoenix’s taste, Lucas Nogueira would also fit the bill in a trade for Tucker, though he’s proven himself to be more useful in limited minutes than Wright or Caboclo.

At 7’0″, the 23-year-old Brazilian center is only averaging 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 8.0 minutes per game this season, but he’s converted 73.1 percent of his shots and has had a couple of decent performances — including a 14-point, 7-for-9 performance against the Warriors.

Giving up on Nogueira so soon would be unfortunate from Toronto’s perspective, but he’s still an extremely raw player without too much trade value at this point. To get a player who addresses a specific need like Tucker, Wright, Caboclo or Nogueira would need to be expendable based on McDonough’s preference.

We also have to address what a trade for Tucker and Morris would look like.

If Keef is involved, the Raptors would almost certainly have to include Patrick Patterson to make the salaries match, though it’s worth mentioning again that Keef is not the ideal solution to fit Toronto’s needs at power forward.

Including Terrence Ross and a draft pick would be a tough blow to stomach, especially since Patterson brings more of the qualities Toronto needs from the 4-spot, but Ross has been “meh” yet again this year, averaging 8.9 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting off the bench.

The Raptors just gave Ross a three-year, $33 million extension last summer, and he’s still only 24 years old. But Patterson wouldn’t be much of a piece to center a trade package around and let’s face it: Ross is more than likely going to continue to underwhelm if he’s not putting his game together already.

In Phoenix, Ross would have the opportunity to show what he can do in ample minutes for a team that can afford for him to make mistakes. With Tucker gone, he’d be the default starting 3 for the rest of the season, and Patterson would still get minutes alongside Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic (who would also log time at small forward).

More hoops habit: Phoenix Suns: 5 Long-Term Replacements For Jeff Hornacek

The biggest prize in this deal for Phoenix would be the draft pick, but sacrificing Ross, a future pick AND Patterson — a player who brings defense and more efficient perimeter shooting than Keef to the table — feels like it’d be a step too far for the Raptors. In any case, if Toronto does trade for Tucker without involving another team, it’ll be some variation of one of the above deals.