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2021 NBA champion PJ Tucker is set to enter 2021 NBA free agency as one of the most coveted unrestricted free agents. His stock saw a significant rise after his brilliant outing in the 2021 NBA Playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks.
PJ Tucker proved that despite being 36 years of age, he still has a lot to offer to a playoff-contending team looking to win it all. The series against the Brooklyn Nets, in particular, caught the eye of potential suitors for Tucker.
PJ Tucker took up the challenge of guarding the Nets' best player, Kevin Durant, and was brilliant in the way he executed his job against arguably one of the greatest offensive players of all time.
PJ Tucker's stingy defense is one of his best traits, and multiple title-contending teams are looking for a player of his caliber on the market this offseason.
On that note, let's take a look at three teams that could be the top landing spots for PJ Tucker in free agency.
#3 Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks desperately need to add more defenders to their squad to compete with the rest of the Western Conference. They showed a lot of promise in the 2021 NBA Playoffs after leading the LA Clippers 2-0 and 3-2 during their first-round series matchups. However, they ended up losing the series 3-4 after seven games. It was evident that the Marc Cuban-owned franchise needed to make significant upgrades to their roster to make a deep playoff run.
Aside from adding more shooters and a ball-handler, adding a defensive-minded player is also a must for the Mavericks. Having said that, PJ Tucker appears to be a viable option for them to consider. He can guard players 1 to 5 and will embrace the challenge of limiting the opponent's best player when asked to do it. The Mavericks do not have that kind of player in their squad at the moment.
The Mavericks have $34 million available in cap space in free agency and have a lot of impending decisions to make surrounding the future of some of their own free agents as well. The most notable of the lot is Tim Hardaway Jr., who was most certainly the second-best offensive player on the team after Luka Doncic last season.
As per Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, PJ Tucker is likely to get offers of around more than the 2-year $17 million player option that the Houston Rockets offered to him. Even if the Mavericks do end up offering Tucker a $10 million deal annually, they will still have a significant amount of cap space to work with, along with the $9.5 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception they have.
The Mavericks can still re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr., who will likely command upwards of $20 million a year in free agency and continue to add other role players to build a solid contending team to compete for the title.
Also Read: NBA Rumors: LA Lakers open to moving on from Dennis Schroder after less than an ideal 2020/21 season
#2 Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are looking to bolster their frontcourt this offseason. They have previously been linked with players like Bobby Portis and John Collins and were linked with PJ Tucker at the trade deadline. The Heat were the favorites to land Tucker in March, but the Milwaukee Bucks acted fast and ended up acquiring the former Rockets forward instead.
The Heat will likely see the likes of Trevor Ariza and Nemanja Bjelica depart in free agency along with veteran leader Andre Iguodala, on whom they have a $15 million team option. PJ Tucker will be an intriguing player for Miami to target in free agency as he will give them more depth upfront and also cover up for the loss of Iguodala's veteran experience if they end up letting him go.
The Miami Heat were swept 0-4 by PJ Tucker and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and evidently lacked players who could play with high energy on both ends of the floor. Tucker's traits fit well with the Heat's set-up and could make them one of the top teams in the stacked Eastern Conference again.
The Heat have almost $20.4 million in cap space this offseason and roughly $9.5 million of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception that they could use to sign Tucker in free agency.
#1 Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are looking like the best landing spot for PJ Tucker at the moment. With the way the two parties benefitted from joining forces, Tucker is widely expected to re-sign with them in free agency. The Bucks have bird rights for Tucker, which enables them to go over the salary cap and re-sign him.
The Bucks will be strangled for cap space next season but will try to keep the majority of their core group of players together. Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes could be on the move as they are likely to decline their player options. The Bucks simply do not have the cap room to re-sign the two players as per their market value, which is likely to be much more than the player options they have.
Milwaukee Bucks leader Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed his time with Tucker last season and has mentioned in the past that he is a highly valuable player for the team. Giannis expressed his views on Tucker after the Brooklyn Nets series, claiming the Bucks will need him moving forward.
"“He keeps making everything tough on KD (Kevin Durant). He’s vocal. He’s a leader. He pushes us to be great. He’s definitely a big piece of this organization and this team. He’s going to keep helping us. We definitely need him moving forward.”
One of the top priorities this summer for the Bucks will be to add quality role players who can help them retain the title next season. Keeping PJ Tucker is a positive step in that regard.
Also Read: NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics on top of Bradley Beal's wishlist if he leaves Washington Wizards
