Former NBA Forward P.J. Tucker Announces Retirement
Longtime NBA forward P.J. Tucker has retired as a player, he announced on social media (Instagram link).
After three college seasons at Texas, Tucker was selected 35th overall in the 2006 NBA draft. He spent his rookie season in Toronto, the team that drafted him, but only played 83 total minutes over 17 games with the Raptors before he was cut in March of 2007.
Tucker played five years overseas prior to rejoining the NBA with the Suns in 2012/13. The 6’5″ combo forward spent four-plus seasons with Phoenix before to being sent back to Toronto ahead of the 2017 trade deadline. He signed with the Rockets that year in free agency, and proceeded to spend parts of four seasons with Houston, which sent him to Milwaukee ahead of the 2021 deadline.
Tucker helped the Bucks win their first championship in 50 years in 2020/21. He spent the following three seasons with the Heat, Sixers and Clippers, and was under contract but away from Los Angeles for most of 2024/25 until he was traded to Utah and then Toronto last February.
After being waived by the Raptors at the end of February 2025, Tucker signed with the Knicks. The North Carolina native barely played for New York, which advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. The Knicks declined their team option on Tucker last summer, and he has been a free agent ever since.
Tucker, who turned 41 years old two days ago, holds career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 28.2 minutes per game across 886 regular season appearances, 667 of which were starts. His career shooting slash line was .425/.366/.750.
The 14-year veteran was mostly known for being a solid defender who could guard multiple positions. Tucker was strong, tough and made lots of winning effort plays that don’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet.
Latest On NBA Europe
There continues to be ongoing dialogue between the NBA and EuroLeague about the NBA’s proposed European league, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. However, the two sides are still working through the details of what a potential partnership might look like.
According to Vardon, new EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno — a former NBA executive — will meet this week in Barcelona with George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s day-to-day leader of the project. Aivazoglou’s title with the NBA is managing director of Europe and the Middle East.
As Vardon details, the NBA has sought the money, fan bases, infrastructure and “local gravity” of European football (soccer) giants for NBA Europe, but those teams don’t view the situation as being on even footing in negotiations.
“The clubs are still of the mind that the NBA needs them much more than the clubs need the NBA,” one source familiar with the talks told The Athletic. “Half these clubs don’t really need a basketball team. If you really challenge them, I think they would love to have one in many ways but it’s not a necessity.”
Still, Vardon points out that some of those clubs could be incentivized to “play ball” if they hope to eventually own NBA teams in the future. Sovereign or public wealth funds are currently limited to minority ownership stakes in NBA clubs, Vardon notes, but it’s possible that could change down the line, especially if the board of governors and league office support the idea.
Vardon describes the current situation as “tense,” since both sides are trying to find a middle ground in several areas. While the NBA would like all of the current EuroLeague teams to be involved in NBA Europe, the NBA is also insisting license holders pay a sliding-scale fee based on market size on top of seeking infrastructure improvements, Vardon reports.
“Why should one pay less or more than the other — there should be some coherence around the valuations,” a representative for a potential NBA Europe team said.
Some of the European soccer giants have also floated the idea paying of NBA teams to essentially rent their star players for a period of time, like the transfer system. The NBA viewed that concept as a nonstarter, however.
“This is not something (the NBA) are currently entertaining or considering,” a source familiar with the negotiations told Vardon.
Regardless of how the talks play out, Vardon still hears Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will likely own one of NBA Europe’s licensed teams, with London as the market.
Raptors Notes: Webster, Offseason, Barrett, Rajakovic
Speaking to the media at his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster didn’t give a ton of clues about what the offseason might look like for Toronto, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
While Webster is “far more measured in tone” than his predecessor and longtime former boss Masai Ujiri, they seem to value many of the same things from a team-building perspective, Koreen writes, with patience, opportunism and incremental growth among the overlapping talking points.
Webster made it clear he wasn’t going to overreact to Toronto’s seven-game first-round series vs. Cleveland, and pointed out that progress isn’t guaranteed to be linear in 2026/27 after the Raptors increased their win total by 16 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
“I think it was a step in the right direction,” Webster said. “It doesn’t mean the next step or the next steps aren’t going to be even harder.”
Pulling off a major trade this summer might be difficult since it would essentially have to include at least one of Toronto’s starters, and some of the players in that group don’t have positive value due to their contracts. On the other hand, Webster pointed out that the Raptors control all of their future first-round picks, including No. 19 overall in the 2026 draft, and hasn’t been afraid to take big swings in the past.
“Clearly, the defensive ability of (Scottie Barnes and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles) is special, whether it’s switching or them being disruptive and guarding multiple positions,” Webster said. “What do you surround them with? You could surround them with more defense. You could put more elite defenders with them and figure out the offensive end. But I think we’re going to focus on the strength of those two, which is a defensive pairing, and maybe making the top-five defense an even better defense.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Within his Raptors offseason preview, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes that big man Sandro Mamukelashvili is the team’s biggest free agent this summer, and Webster suggested the team would like to re-sign him. “He fit in really well here,” Webster said. “We’ll talk to his reps, we’ll talk to Mamu. I think he obviously wants to be here. There are financial realities of the NBA, but we’ll do everything we can to retain him.”
- Reports of the Raptors lacking a degree of flexibility due to their starters’ contracts are somewhat overstated, according to Lewenberg, who says including Murray-Boyles in a possible trade package would entice any team who has a star available. The future of RJ Barrett might be the most interesting subplot of the offseason, Lewenberg adds. Barrett is entering the final year of his contract and will be extension-eligible this summer, and his expiring contract and strong playoff play could make him an unexpectedly valuable trade chip.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca shares some of the noteworthy quotes from head coach Darko Rajakovic‘s end-of-season presser.
- In case you missed it, both Webster and Rajakovic are expected to receive extensions this offseason.
Cavaliers’ Merrill, Pistons’ Huerter Out For Game 2
Cavaliers sharpshooter Sam Merrill has been ruled out for Thursday’s Game 2 in Detroit, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The sixth-year wing was initially considered questionable for tonight’s contest due to a left hamstring strain, which he suffered during Tuesday’s Game 1 loss vs. the Pistons.
Merrill had a career year for the Cavs after re-signing with the club on a four-year, $37MM contract in 2025 free agency. He averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 26.5 minutes per game — all career highs — while shooting 42.1% from long distance during the regular season.
Merrill didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice and it would have been surprising if he had suited up on Thursday, given the nature of his injury. But the fact that the 29-year-old was initially listed as questionable suggests his injury may not be severe.
Pistons wing Kevin Huerter will also be sidelined on Thursday, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). Huerter was downgraded from doubtful to out because of a strained left adductor he suffered on April 27.
Huerter was playing rotation minutes for the top-seeded Pistons in the first-round series against Orlando. The impending free agent suffered the injury in Game 4.
Bucks Notes: Giannis, Celtics, Cavs, Jenkins, More
People around the league continue to believe that regaining control of their own draft capital is likely to appeal to the Bucks in any potential trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). That could bode well for the involvement of the Trail Blazers, who control Milwaukee’s three drafts from 2028-30.
Jaylen Brown recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Celtics after his mentor Tracy McGrady suggested the veteran wing was frustrated in Boston. While Fischer says there has been some speculation about a Brown-for-Giannis trade, he hears the Celtics only expressed “cursory interest” in Antetokounmpo ahead of the February deadline.
Fischer “never got the sense” that Boston was a real suitor for Giannis and also never got the impression that the two-time MVP was intrigued by the possibility of joining the Celtics. But if a deal involving those two players did come to pass, rival teams believe the Bucks would look to involve other teams to acquire additional assets for Brown, rather than keeping him for themselves.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the Bucks:
- The Celtics may or may not be a suitor for Giannis, but people around the league think the Cavaliers could be if they fail to advance past the second round of the playoffs, Fischer writes. Sources tell The Stein Line that Cleveland contacted Milwaukee about the 31-year-old power forward ahead of the deadline and the Bucks asked for Evan Mobley and all of the Cavs’ available draft capital. As Fischer notes, Donovan Mitchell‘s contract situation is very similar to Antetokounmpo’s — he’ll be extension-eligible this offseason and could be a free agent in 2027 if he declines his 2027/28 player option.
- General manager Jon Horst told reporters — including Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) — that Antetokounmpo didn’t meet with new head coach Taylor Jenkins during the team’s interview process, but the two have spoken. For what it’s worth, Antetokounmpo told Owczarski he endorsed the move. Jenkins is a former Bucks assistant who was the Grizzlies’ head coach for six years prior to being let go at the end of 2024/25. “I think he’s an incredible person,” Antetokounmpo said of Jenkins. “Obviously, he’s an incredible coach. I was able to be with him in 2019 and we made the Eastern Conference Finals. After that he left, he was one of the first coaches that left the coaching staff and went to Memphis and he had an incredible six years in Memphis. He made them contenders in the West. He had incredible culture in Memphis. I had the conversation. I don’t think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they’re getting a good person. And that’s where it starts with. Having a good person around that’s gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He’s a really good coach.”
- In a separate subscriber-only story, Owczarski passes along some highlights from Jenkins’ introductory press conference, which also featured Horst and co-owner Jimmy Haslam. Jenkins said his one-year stint in Milwaukee and his respect for Horst played critical roles in his decision to rejoin the Bucks. “When this opportunity became available, I was like, I know the people,” Jenkins said as part of a larger quote. “I know what they stand for. I know what their standards are going to be on a day-to-day basis, and naturally, as we navigated this past season as a family – got to spend a lot of great quality time with them – we were very intentional about the things that matter to us, both personally and professionally. And the people, that’s the thing that really gravitated us back here to Milwaukee.”
And-Ones: Cuban, CEBL, Tanking, 2026 Draft
Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban has made an investment in a Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team. The Brampton Honey Badgers announced on Thursday that Cuban has joined the club’s ownership group. Former Mavs executive Al Whitley currently serves as the Honey Badgers’ CEO.
“I am thrilled that Mark has decided to formally join me on this journey after having already helped along the way, including introducing me to our current CEO Al Whitley,” team owner Leonard Asper said in a statement. “No one brings more basketball knowledge and winning culture than Mark, and all of us at the Honey Badgers are honored to have him join this organization.”
The CEBL, which began play in 2019, features 10 teams across six Canadian provinces. There has been no shortage of players with NBA experience competing in the league in recent years. During the 2025 season, four of the CEBL’s top five scorers – Javonte Smart, Mitch Creek, Donovan Williams, and Terquavion Smith – were players who have appeared in NBA games.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Only about 28% of the players polled by The Athletic don’t view tanking as a problem for the NBA, according to Joe Vardon, Sam Amick, and Josh Robbins, with the other 72% viewing it as either a “big” or “little” issue. “I’m salty on this one, I think the league needs to do something about it,” one player said. The Athletic’s reporters also relayed players’ thoughts on whether the NBA’s integrity is in any real danger (75% said no) and what changes they would make if they were running the league. Reducing the amount of regular season games and eliminating back-to-backs were among the top responses to that last question, along with tweaking rules to favor defense and expanding the league beyond 30 teams.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 mock draft ahead of the upcoming lottery, with no major surprises among the first few picks. Notably, Arizona’s Brayden Burries has moved into Wasserman’s top 10 along with the usual suspects after UConn’s Braylon Mullins opted not to go pro.
- Jeremy Woo of ESPN previews this Sunday’s draft lottery by breaking down each team’s odds for the No. 1 pick and a top-four selection, from the Wizards to the Hornets, and outlining the prospects who would best fit each of those clubs.
Coaching Rumors: Splitter, Blazers, Pelicans, Thibodeau
Tiago Splitter did an admirable job in Portland after taking over for Chauncey Billups during the first week of the 2025/26 season, leading the team to a 42-39 record the rest of the way and earning a playoff spot. However, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Splitter appears unlikely to be hired as the Trail Blazers‘ permanent head coach.
The Blazers’ goal is to interview upwards of 30 candidates for the job, according to Fischer, who explains that new team owner Tom Dundon wants to gather as much intel as possible on the coaching market before making a decision. However, the manner in which Dundon has operated since taking over control of the team – immediately implementing cost-cutting measures and launching the head coaching search before the season ended – has turned off some potential targets.
According to Fischer, multiple assistant coaches around the NBA have declined to reciprocate the Blazers’ interest due to Dundon’s approach and rumors that the team is looking to pays its new coach well below the standard market rate.
Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley are among the candidates to watch, per Fischer, though he notes that Hetzel is also in the running for the Pelicans’ vacancy. Hetzel previously worked in Portland and overlapped with Damian Lillard during the point guard’s previous stint with the team, and Lillard has suggested some potential candidates to management during the coaching search, Fischer says.
Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Twitter link) also identifies Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean as one possible candidate getting a look from the Blazers.
Here are a few more coaching rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Both Hetzel and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham have made “strong impressions” on Pelicans team officials during New Orleans’ coaching search, Fischer reports. However, he says there’s a growing sense that Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who is also believed to be drawing interest from the Bulls and Magic, won’t be attainable for the Pelicans. It’s also unclear, Fischer says, whether anything will come of New Orleans’ reported interest in Jamahl Mosley, since it’s possible he won’t want to jump right into a new head coaching job after being fired by Orlando.
- Although Tom Thibodeau would be open to reuniting with the Bulls, the rebuilding club may not be a match for the veteran head coach, who is more likely to seek out a win-now situation, Fischer writes. Based on Fischer’s conversations with sources, the Magic job is the one viewed as most appealing to that type of candidate.
- Conner Varney, who had been working as a coaching associate under Quin Snyder in Atlanta, is leaving the Hawks to take a job with the Butler Bulldogs, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Varney will reunite with Ronald Nored, a former Hawks assistant who was hired as Butler’s head coach in March.
Hornets Sign Charles Lee To Multiyear Extension
The Hornets have signed head coach Charles Lee to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced today in a press release.
Lee, who took over for Steve Clifford in 2024, won just 19 games in his first year on the job as the rebuilding Hornets battled the injury bug. However, he guided the team to a 25-win improvement in 2025/26. Although Charlotte ultimately fell one win short of the playoffs, the club’s 44-38 record was its best regular season mark since 2015/16.
“Charles has done an outstanding job establishing a foundation for who we want to be as a team,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said in a statement. “From day one, Charles and his staff have prioritized player development, creating an environment where each of our players are committed to getting better and continue to improve. He has built a team-first culture rooted in accountability, hard work and professionalism. I’m excited to keep working closely with Charles as we continue to build the Hornets for long-term success.”
The Hornets actually got off to a poor start again in ’25/26, opening the regular season by losing 14 of their first 18 games and compiling an 11-23 record heading into a January 3 game in Chicago. From that point on though, Charlotte was one of the NBA’s best teams, finishing the season on a 33-15 run and ranking first in the NBA in offensive rating (120.6), fourth in defensive rating (109.9), and first in net rating (+10.7) during that stretch.
After winning the 9/10 play-in game over the Heat, the Hornets lost their second play-in game to the Magic, but their second half performance still provided plenty of optimism for the team’s future.
We don’t know the exact terms of Lee’s new contract, but when he was hired in 2024, reports indicated he signed a four-year contract. Presumably, he still had two years left on that deal, though it’s possible the final year was an option. Even if his new deal replaced that last season and only tacked on one additional year beyond that, that means he’ll be under contract through at least 2029 — and it’s entirely possible his new deal goes beyond that.
OG Anunoby Considered Day-To-Day With Hamstring Strain
Knicks forward OG Anunoby, who exited Wednesday’s game after sustaining an apparent leg injury, has been diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and will be considered day-to-day, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, Anunoby is being listed as questionable to play in Game 3 in Philadelphia on Friday.
Anunoby appeared to suffer the injury on a missed dunk attempt with just over three minutes left in Game 2. The 28-year-old landed a little awkwardly and briefly grabbed at the back of his right leg, then was limping as he begin running up the court following the offensive possession (video link via NBA.com). He signaled to the bench that he needed to check out of the game and was subbed out shortly thereafter.
The diagnosis is probably a best-case scenario for the Knicks, given that a more severe hamstring strain can sideline a player for weeks or even months — Luka Doncic, notably, has been out since April 2 due to a Grade 2 strain. Anunoby’s day-to-day designation suggests his strain is a mild one.
Still, even a mild hamstring strain typically requires a recovery period of at least a few days, if not a week or two. Thunder forward Jalen Williams, who is currently recovering from a Grade 1 strain, hasn’t played since April 22.
While it sounds like Anunoby’s absence might not be an extended one, the team’s medical staff will want to ensure he’s not rushing back before he’s ready, since soft-tissue injuries can easily be aggravated if they’re not fully healed.
Anunoby is averaging a team-high 35.3 minutes per game so far in the postseason, so head coach Mike Brown will have to reconfigure his rotation if the two-way wing is forced to miss time. That would likely result in an increased role for reserve guard Miles McBride, who was part of the Knicks’ closing lineup on Wednesday following Anunoby’s exit. The team would probably lean a little more heavily on wings Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, with Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, and Jose Alvarado among the other candidates for more playing time.
The Knicks hold a 2-0 lead in the series, but the Sixers came back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round, so New York won’t want to take its foot off the gas as the series shifts to Philadelphia.
Pacific Notes: Reaves, Gillespie, Suns, Gordon, Green
Lakers guard Austin Reaves converted just 3-of-16 shots from the floor for eight points in Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City on Tuesday, dropping his postseason shooting percentage to 30.4%. While Reaves may still be shaking off some rust after missing about four weeks due to an oblique strain, he isn’t about to use that as an excuse for his struggles, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“I mean, nobody cares about that,” Reaves said. “I got to go out there and play better.”
LeBron James was more willing to point to Reaves’ lengthy layoff as a reason why the fifth-year guard isn’t exactly in rhythm, telling reporters, “His presence alone helps us no matter what.” Still, as Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, with Luka Doncic out, the Lakers will need more from Reaves if they hope to seriously compete with the defending champions in this series.
The timing of the slump also isn’t great from an individual perspective for Reaves, who is expected to decline a $14.9MM player option next month to become a free agent. If he’s not able to bounce back with some big games, it may raise some questions about whether he’s worthy of a massive long-term investment, Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times contends. However, the Lakers still love Reaves and all that he brings to the table, says Amick, adding that “all signs” point to the team making re-signing him a top priority this offseason.
Here are a few more items from around the Pacific:
- Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ.com considers what kind of contract it would take for the Suns to re-sign breakout guard Collin Gillespie, suggesting that something similar to T.J. McConnell‘s current deal (which is worth $45MM over four years) might make sense for both sides. Using Gillespie’s Early Bird rights, Phoenix could go as high as roughly $67MM over four seasons, but Bourguet is skeptical that the 26-year-old will get that full amount.
- While it’s possible that the Nuggets will explore the possibility of trading forward Aaron Gordon this summer, don’t expect the Suns to be interested, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who suggests (via Twitter) that it should be safe to rule out Phoenix as a landing spot for Gordon due to the forward’s concerning injury history.
- Warriors forward Draymond Green briefly addressed his future during an appearance on Inside The NBA on Wednesday, indicating that he can’t picture himself wearing another uniform as long as Golden State wants to keep him, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). According to Spears, Green conveyed a similar message to him recently,