Bucks could reunite with key starter from championship team?

Mar 30, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; The Milwaukee Bucks logo on the floor prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 105-94. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks might just be bringing Pops Junior back home.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein reported this week to Substack that the Bucks may have interest in reuniting with LA Clippers forward PJ Tucker should he become available. Tucker is currently away from the Clippers by mutual consent and is a candidate for either a buyout or a trade.

Stein also notes that the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers could have interest in landing Tucker as well. Including the Bucks, Tucker has already played for all of those teams in the past. But Stein does say that none of the four teams would be likely to trade for Tucker, leaving a post-buyout signing as the much more realistic possibility.

The 39-year-old dirty-work role player Tucker has been frustrated with his lack of a role for the Clippers ever since arriving in the James Harden trade with the 76ers last November and even made things pretty ugly last season. But Tucker, who is making $11.5 million this season, is now easier to buy out since he is in the final year of his contract. Just a few days ago, we heard too that the Clippers had taken a notable step toward parting ways with Tucker.

A career 36.6 percent three-point shooter, Tucker played for the Bucks in the 2020-21 season and was a massively important starter in the frontcourt alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez as they won the NBA title that year. Though clearly a shell of himself at this point (1.7 points per game last year), Tucker could still be a meaningful minimum-salary addition for Milwaukee. They do not have a lot of reliable wing defenders left on their roster and when it comes to forward Khris Middleton, who has yet to play this season, his health is completely up in the air right now.