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#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
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
