Philadelphia’s deal with the veteran forward not only makes it a better team heading into next season, but makes a direct rival worse.
P.J. Tucker is reuniting with James Harden. The burly forward agreed to a three-year, $33.2 million deal with the Sixers on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer was the first to report the parameters of a possible signing. Tucker, 37, averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season, his lone year with the Heat. He also brought his trademark defensive intensity to the team while shooting a career-best 41.5% from three. Tucker previously played with Harden on the Rockets from 2017–21. Let’s grade the signing for Philly.
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Grade: B+
This is one of my favorite types of moves a contender can make: Improve your team while making a direct rival worse. This is a double whammy for the Sixers. They add a solid piece in Tucker while significantly weakening the Heat, who knocked Philly out of the playoffs. Tucker is the epitome of both a 3-and-D player as well as the kind of teammate whose impact can’t be measured in the box score. He’s a defensive tone setter, and his impact will only increase playing with a rim protector like Joel Embiid. Tucker showed during the postseason he was still willing and capable when it came to slowing down perimeter stars, having success against the likes of Trae Young, Harden and Jayson Tatum. He’ll bring an every-play intensity the Sixers lacked at times last season, and he’ll be a great locker room presence for the younger players on the team.
Offensively, Tucker is already well-versed in playing off Harden. He slots in nicely at either forward spot, and can also play center in some smallball looks come playoff time. He flashed some offensive juice in Miami last season, doing more than only spotting up in the corner, though his impact in that respect waned as the playoffs went on. Teams don’t always respect his corner shot, but Tucker is ultimately staying on the floor during high-leverage moments.
If there’s a downside to the deal, it’s the number of years. Tucker will be 40 by the final postseason run of this contract. Still, it’s worth tacking on an extra year if it means stealing him away from Miami. With the uncertainty around how much longer Harden will play like a star, the Sixers should be all in on the next two years with Embiid still in his prime. Push all your chips to the center now, and deal with any headaches after you’ve exhausted all routes to possibly winning a championship.
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