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P.J. Tucker Rumors: 76ers Favored 'By Far' to Sign Forward over Nets, Hawks
June 22, 2022
The Philadelphia 76ers are considered the favorite "by far" to sign impending free-agent forward P.J. Tucker if he leaves the Miami Heat, per longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein on his Substack:
"If P.J. Tucker is prepared to leave Miami, Philadelphia is regarded as by far the favorite to sign him away, league sources say. Tucker is poised to receive a three-year, $30 million contract offer in free agency from Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, GM for Tucker’s first three seasons in Houston, according to a Tuesday night report from The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. My pal Chris Haynes from Yahoo! noted below that the Sixers’ pitch won’t be the only one."
The 37-year-old Tucker averaged 7.6 points on 48.4 percent shooting (41.5 percent from three-point range) and 5.5 rebounds for the Heat last season. He's played 16 professional seasons, including 11 in the NBA.
Numerous teams have interest in Tucker, as Haynes noted.
The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks will reportedly make a run at Tucker, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
The Heat would also like to bring Tucker back, with team president Pat Riley going so far as to call the one-season Heat player a franchise "cornerstone."
Tucker reportedly plans to opt out of his $7.4 million player option with the Heat for 2022-23, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
It appears the 76ers are by far the most aggressive suitor. In addition to the aforementioned Inquirer report, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported (around the 50-second mark) that the 76ers are "in the mix" on Tucker.
Ultimately, Tucker won't have any trouble landing a new multiyear deal after helping the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals.
