No NBA player has benefitted from the evolution toward positionless basketball more than PJ Tucker. The heart and soul of so many innovative Houston Rockets teams, the makeshift center is reportedly drawing attention from “70% of the league,” per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. For Tucker, however, it appears the smoke has dissipated from Denver, Colorado. The Denver Nuggets were reportedly “not expected to still be in pursuit” of him.
Per Amick: Sources say the Nuggets are on the lookout for a forward who can guard multiple positions and help with the defense that is just 16th in the league. They have been tied to Tucker, but the Rockets’ asking price appears to be well out of Denver’s reach.
Tucker had been tied to the Nuggets in the NBA rumor mill since the end of February. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that it has never been reported that Denver officially offered a trade for the veteran Swiss army knife.
The Nuggets still find themselves in the market for a 3-and-D player, a role that PJ Tucker would have filled admirably despite his age and reported decline.
Denver currently sits fifth in the West, with the offensive firepower of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray driving their success. But the team ranks toward the bottom of the NBA defensively and will need to fill that hole to be taken seriously as title-contender.
The 11-year vet recently agreed to “part ways” with the Rockets and will no longer be playing with the franchise, a theme that has gained momentum this NBA season. Andre Drummond has reached a similar conclusion to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Blake Griffin took the same path with the Detroit Pistons before being picked up by the Brooklyn Nets.
Other players linked to the Nuggets include Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon.
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