P.J. Tucker, Heat Agree to 2-Year, $15M Contract After Bucks' Title Run
August 3, 2021
The Miami Heat and forward P.J. Tucker agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal Monday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The 36-year-old joined the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the 2020-21 season as they attempted to add defensive toughness and versatility. But he noticeably showed signs of age last season, averaging just 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds while not providing as much defensive impact as expected.
Milwaukee limited Tucker to 29.6 minutes per game during its postseason run. Still, he averaged 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while knocking down some critical corner threes during the Bucks' postseason run to the NBA title.
Despite not being quite an All-Defensive-level selection, the Texas product can still be a role player for 15-20 minutes per night who knows where he's going on defense and can knock down the occasional corner three. Veterans like him are the type of players who can help put a team over on the margins.
Given the relatively low cost, Tucker heading to Miami makes a good amount of sense as the Heat attempt to battle the top squads in the Eastern Conference in 2021-22.