Last evening, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the struggling Houston Rockets have dealt veteran forward/center PJ Tucker to the Milwaukee Bucks. Tucker, headed to Milwaukee along with little used Rodion Kurucs, is being traded for a pair of DJs, Augustin and Wilson. Included in the deal are the always confusing NBA draft picks. I’ll get to this in a bit (maybe).
Tucker is the center piece of this deal and I would imagine that he plays a big part of the Bucks’ second half of the season. He has struggled this season. Maybe it is due to his age (will be turning 36 prior to the 2021 playoffs) or a lack of James Harden getting him open corner three looks that he had become so accustomed to. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. The Bucks are counting on him regaining his previous reputation as one of the most consistent and steadfast players in the NBA.
Tucker, as I mentioned, will be turning 36 in the coming months. Yet this has only been his 10th season in the NBA. He was drafted with the 35th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and played sparingly there, appearing in only 35 games. He would spend the next five seasons overseas before returning to the United States. I was really surprised he did not get more of a chance in the NBA the first time around. He was a really good player for the University of Texas and I was certain his talent and hard-nosed style would get him a rotation spot for a team. Well, he did end up getting back in the NBA, it just took until 2012. He spent four and a half season in Phoenix before being traded at the deadline, back to Toronto. Following the season, he joined the Houston Rockets where he has become a household name for NBA fans who know of his love for tough defense, corner threes, and sometimes playing Center despite being just 6’5”.
I expect that Tucker comes off of the bench and that coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t alter his current lineup of Donte DiVincenzo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. And I think that works to the team’s favor. I really think the most important thing for Milwaukee to do at the deadline was to bolster their bench. I like Pat Connaughton playing 15 minutes instead of his current 21. Bobby Portis has been a great add this season, but can he play like this the rest of the season. He is currently shooting 53% from the field overall (46% career) and 48% from three (37% career). History would suggest that these first 40 games have been an outlier. Tucker will also greatly bolster their defense if he can regain his 2017-2020 form.
DJ Wilson rarely played and DJ Augustin did not have much of a fit for this current Bucks team. I am not sure if Augustin ends up playing any games for Houston and he ends up on another contender. With Wilson, Houston gets to take a flyer on a former first round pick who has seen his playing time drastically reduced since he started in the league. Houston has gotten a good season from Jae’Sean Tate and Kevin Porter has averaged nearly 20 points per game in his five thus far for the Rockets. Maybe Wilson can add to Houston’s front court of the future with Christian Wood.
In the trade, Milwaukee also sent Torrey Craig to Phoenix. I like Craig but he didn’t have a role on the Bucks and struggled to find playing time. I expect that he finds that same situation for Phoenix. He is, however, a great 10-12th man to have on the bench should injuries occur.
I did say I would (maybe) get to those draft picks. Per Woj, Houston will push back the 2022 first round pick that Milwaukee already owes it and it will instead be a 2023 unprotected first round pick. Unless injuries happen, I expect Milwaukee to be good in two years so I don’t know how much value that pick will have. The Rockets also get the right to swap their 2021 second round pick for the Bucks 2021 first round pick. It should allow the Rockets to jump up a few spots in the overall draft. Houston is going to be picking at the beginning of the second round while Milwaukee will be selecting in the high 20s. The caveat is that Houston cannot do the swap if Milwaukee’s pick falls in the 1-9 slot. It won’t.
The Bucks are taking a gamble that Tucker can regain his previous play with Houston and not this current season. They gave up enough where it is a bad trade if Tucker doesn’t pan out. If it does pan out, it gives the Bucks a better chance of making the NBA Finals. Covering Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden is not going to be a funk task for any team. Tucker has always played above his height on defense and can be an option to cover Durant if needed. He will also take a burden off of Giannis in the playoffs on defense. It’s a risk worth taking.
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