PJ Tucker is not expected to return to the Houston Rockets; Frustrated he hasn’t been traded, sources say

Coach Stephen Silas said the Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker has decided not to play on Thursday night and is not expected to return to the team.

Tucker is increasingly frustrated that he has yet to trade with a claimant, sources told ESPN.

“We’ll try to figure out something that will work for him and work for us until he’s in the team now,” Silas said after Houston’s expansion to the Sacramento Kings after a 125-105 loss to the injured Rockets. Lost streak in 14 games. “I was under the impression that he was playing tonight, and he didn’t play. It was disappointing, but it’s no secret that he’s had a rough year.”

Sources said there had been a number of simultaneous business discussions with the teams in recent weeks involving Tucker in the Rockets, whose negotiations are likely to result in a deal with Tucker ahead of the March 25 trade deadline.

The Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets are among the teams that have discussed possible deals with the Rockets in recent weeks, sources said.

So far, the choice of rockets for the young, productive rotation player in trade negotiations has been a shocking issue with teams that are not willing to part with that kind of wealth for a year-old man on a terminated contract, sources said.

Tucker traveled to Sacramento with the Rockets and warmed up just before the game, but didn’t consider it appropriate to join the team on the bench. He was not listed on the injury report.

“He decided he wasn’t really with her, and we decided it was a good idea,” Silas said, adding that Tucker would return to Houston instead of staying on the Rockets route trip. “Let’s move on.”

The 35-year-old Tucker has been an essential role player during his 3-year tenure with the Rockets, suggesting 5.5 more rebounds than his average of 6.5 points per game. He always defended the opponent’s top scorer – despite being only 6-foot-5 standing during Houston’s short-lived experiment last season – and acted primarily as a corner 3-point threat, keeping the floor aggressively at a distance.

Tucker is in the final season of a four-year final 32 million deal. The Rockets did not guarantee a final year of the deal until February 2020.

Tucker, who played 267 games in a row until the bruised thigh sidelined him for two games in February, reported late to training camp this fall and admitted he felt irrelevant after discussions on contract extension broke down.

Sources said the Rockets thought they were close to signing Tucker for a two-year extension with a ing 1 million guarantee, but Houston’s front office faced Tucker’s camp with a proposal for a two-year deal with a full guarantee of about ૨ 5 million. .

After the business of Russell Westbrook and James Harden, Tucker has struggled to change the roster’s roster this season, with career lows in points per game (4.4), field goal percentage (.6 36. %%) and – point percentage (311.%). Posted.

“He’s been professional,” Silas said. “He’s been in the lineup and trying and doing what he can, but this time, we’ll do what’s best for the group and what’s best for PJ, and maybe he’s not here.”