RaveDash

There was a time when P.J. Tucker wanted to be traded away from the Los Angeles Clippers, but he is staying put for the 2024-25 season.

The forward exercised the $11.5 million player option on his contract for the upcoming campaign on Friday, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Los Angeles acquired Tucker from the Philadelphia 76ers early last season as part of the deal that also sent James Harden to the Clippers. Harden was the headliner, but Tucker quickly fell out of the team's rotation.

It reached a point that he told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk in February he was "actively trying to get traded." The NBA fined him $75,000 as a result of those public comments.

Tucker also expressed frustration to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints in February, and the Clippers even sent him away from the team before the All-Star break.

However, he eventually returned to the team and played a role down the stretch of the regular season. In all, he made 28 appearances and averaged 1.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep.

Los Angeles also played him in Games 5 and 6 of its first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and he scored 11 total points across the two contests. Dallas ended up winning the series in six games.

Despite the up-and-down season with the Clippers for Tucker, Scotto reported in May he was expected to exercise his player option. Ultimately, this isn't a surprising move considering the 39-year-old likely wouldn't have received such an offer as a free agent at this point of his career.

There was a time earlier in his career when he certainly would have as one of the more valuable role players in the league who brought physical defense, the versatility to guard multiple positions, and the ability to both battle for boards and hit corner threes on offense when opposing defenses collapsed on his star teammates.

Tucker won a title in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in 12th in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2013-14 for the Phoenix Suns. He has also provided veteran leadership for a number of teams during a career that includes stops with the Toronto Raptors, Suns, Houston Rockets, Bucks, Miami Heat, 76ers and Clippers.

This decision provides some continuity with Los Angeles as he looks to add to the 104 playoff games on his resume and chase another championship.

ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJoaGlpYmp9dIOMnKOiqKCav7R50a6kqKqjYr2redOumqSdomKyubHRnKCsnaNifnKBzGaaqKakp66kwIyop62hn6N6p7vRZmlpamRif3Z5zZuYZquVlsCwug%3D%3D