The Rockets are planning to fully guarantee the fourth season of P.J. Tucker‘s contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Tucker’s salary of $7.97MM will now be completely guaranteed for the 2020/21 season, with the veteran forward accepting a larger role in Houston’s rotation following the trade deadline last week. Only $2.57MM was originally guaranteed.
Tucker, who turns 35 in May, will likely serve as the Rockets’ starting center going forward as they test a new variation of small-ball. He’s taken the challenging task head-on thus far, holding his ground in the middle despite being only 6-foot-5.
Tucker was drafted 35th overall back in 2006 and has established himself as one of the league’s most physical defenders. He appeared in all 82 games during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons for Houston, averaging 7.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and a career-high 34.9 minutes in 52 contests this year.
Houston has several of its key rotation players under contract with Tucker for next season, including James Harden ($40.8MM), Russell Westbrook ($41MM), Eric Gordon ($16.8MM) and Robert Covington ($12.1MM). The team is 6.5 games out of first place in the West at 33-19.
I coulda sworn BB had this guy listed as 6’7 a year or two ago lols. No man barely in his mid thirties shrinks 2 inches just like that. So was i being lied to then or am i being lied to now? Either way the league has been missing 6’6 chuck hayes type center for quite sometime. Or was that a lie to?
The NBA updated heights for all players using barefoot measurements (rather than measurements with shoes).
The only player that really “lied” was Kevin Durant who purposefully listed himself shorter his entire career.
Ah, well then, i look rather foolish. Thank you tho.
Jesus how tall was chuck hayes then lolols. 6’4 manning the 5?? Had wingspan but still, daannggg
Hayes was great at stripping the ball away from taller players in the paint. Quick hands are a big part of playing defense.
This was a no-brainer, his contract for next season becomes fully guaranteed on July 1st and they have no intention of releasing him before then.
They could have traded him after being eliminated from playoffs as a pseudo-expiring contract if anyone good came available (true good was unlikely considering his salary.)
Or you could also say ‘they are one game out of 7th’…
I don’t think one guy that size can get beat up for a whole season by NBA 5’s without needing time off or being injured. Probably going to need 3 guys to rotate at small ball center, if it works.
Both Tucker and Harden guard opposing centers. But in their switch-heavy defense, no one is specifically guarding a five.
A guy “that size” will be just fine. Tucker weighs 245.
This is until a few centers get bought out