After weeks of rumors, NBA free agency has begun and it didn’t take long for the Philadelphia 76ers to make things official with veteran forward P.J. Tucker, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Free agent PJ Tucker is finalizing a three-year, $33.2 million fully guaranteed deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent Andre Buck (@andrebuck14) told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
This contract comes as no surprise as this was rumored to be roughly about the money they were going to offer him as it fits the full mid-level exception. Tucker is now the second significant new addition to the roster after the Sixers traded for De’Anthony Melton, but Tucker is a big addition.
What does Tucker bring to the Philadelphia 76ers?
Tucker has 11 years of NBA experience and last season had a career year shooting the ball from the 3-point line. With the Miami Heat this past year, he averaged 7.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
However, Tucker’s best value is on the defensive end with the toughness, which is something that the 76ers missed during their last postseason run. For the past two playoffs, Tucker won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Miami Heat. He has the championship experience that this roster needs.
Tucker coming to the Sixers makes sense. After the Sixers postseason run, Joel Embiid gave high praise to Tucker stating Philly needs a guy like him, per Dan Feldman of NBCSports. Tucker also has ties with James Harden and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey when all three were with the Houston Rockets.
One interesting aspect to consider is whether or not Tucker will be the fifth starter alongside the Sixers “Core 4”. However, time will tell on that front, but it should be noted that Tucker was ranked eighth on my player-option free agent big board.
Overall, it appears that the Philadelphia 76ers were able to agree to a deal with their main target in P.J. Tucker, but is he enough to get them over the hump in the East?