5 free agents with ties to James Harden for Philadelphia 76ers to pursue: Serge Ibaka
Defense, toughness, and three-point shooting are all attributes the Philadelphia 76ers should be in the market for this offseason, and P.J. Tucker provides all three.
The 37-year-old Tucker has been a quality role player throughout his career, notably helping the Milwaukee Bucks win the championship in 2021. Tucker also spent several seasons in Houston alongside James Harden as they went to battle in several deep playoff runs.
The forward is the perfect role player for any contender as he is not afraid to do the dirty work by defending the opposing team’s top scorer while making all the hustle plays. Though he is mostly known for his presence defensively, Tucker has also made a living as an outside shooter, where he has knocked down a solid 36.4 percent of his shots over 11 years. Due to everything he brings to the table, Tucker is someone that the 76ers should certainly have their eye on this offseason.
For the 76ers to even have a chance at landing Tucker, they will first need him to opt-out of his player option worth $7.4 million for next season. It seems likely that Tucker will accept it, given that he has seemingly found a nice home with the Miami Heat, but people said the same thing about Tucker after he won the title with Milwaukee, so nothing is ever set in stone.
If Tucker were to opt-out, perhaps Harden could do some recruiting to get his former teammate to sign with Philadelphia. Only time will tell what Tucker’s future holds as he ponders a player option this offseason.