Unsurprisingly, and to the great displeasure of its leaders, PJ Tucker activated his ” player option » at $11.5 million to play the final year of his contract with the Clippers. Arriving in Los Angeles in November 2023 in James Harden's suitcases, Tucker never entered Tyronn Lue's plans, and he had outright requested his transfer at the time of the “trade deadline”.
At 39, can he still be of service in the NBA, and to the Clippers in particular? The 2021 NBA champion assures that he is still at the level, and that his body has not sent him any signals to stop.
“I'm going to let my body tell me what it is,” Tucker replied on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I’ve been fortunate to be healthy throughout my career, so I still feel pretty good… Once my body tells me, I think I’ll retire. A lot of guys I’ve played with have retired too early and tried to come back… I don’t want to be one of those guys, and once I’m done and hang it up, that’s it!”
With his 1.6 point average last season for only 16 baskets scored, Tucker knows that he will still spend a large part of the season at the end of the Clippers bench. Unless he is cut… and leaves with a big check.
Player option : possibility for a player to activate (or not) the last year of his contract, in order to finish his lease or become a “free agent” one year early.
