One name to keep an eye on for the Philadelphia 76ers when NBA free-agency begins (Thursday, June 30th), is P.J. Tucker.
Tucker, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, is expected to opt out and enter free-agency.
The 37-year-old forward spent last season with the Miami Heat and helped the Milwaukee Bucks win an NBA title in 2020-21.
Tucker, who averages just 7.1 points per game, does shoot 36.4-percent from three, but more importantly provides his team with a toughness and a tenacity that is hard to quantify. On the defensive side of the ball, Tucker is up for any challenge.
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In the summer of 2017, then Rockets GM Daryl Morey brough Tucker to Houston where he thrived, so the now Sixers president of basketball operations is likely a fan of Tucker.
Also, Sixers center Joel Embiid previously raved about what Tucker brings to a team.
The issue for the Sixers, besides Tucker's age, is the amount of cap space and resources they have to allocate in free-agency. With Embiid, Tobias Harris and James Harden—who Philadelphia is reportedly looking to give a shorter-term deal this offseason—on the books, there isn't much cap space left.
The Sixers are reportedly gauging interest around the league for Danny Green, Matisse Thybulle, and Harris, who is due about $77 million left of his $180 million contract over the next two seasons.
At 37-years-old Tucker may be intriguing on a one-year deal, but ultimately I don't think he changes the Sixers' outlook. While he would certainly help with the team's overall toughness, can help guard perimeter players, and knock down the occasional open three, it feels like he'll likely get more than one year for too much money due to past performance plus Charnia's report that multiple teams are interested in him.
Having said that, if Tucker would like to reunite with Harden and Morey, and help Embiid get over the hump on a reasonable deal, then by all means the Sixers should go for it.