Golden State Warriors: Now is the time to target PJ Tucker

We all saw it coming. P.J. Tucker and the Houston Rockets are officially set to part ways and the Golden State Warriors have to be one of the teams looking to pick up the 35-year-old veteran.

Tucker hasn’t been great for the Rockets this season, but has anybody? The team has plummetted to 14th in the West due to a 16-game losing streak in which Tucker has scored just 36 points (3.3 per game) on 26.2 percent shooting.

Anyone watching can see that Tucker has been completely disinterested in playing for this team and it’s not hard to understand why. They’ve fallen off the deep end after trading James Harden and a full rebuild is happening whether the aging John Wall likes it or not. Things reached their boiling point before a game against Sacramento where the Rocket’s rookie head coach, Stephen Silas, simply said Tucker is “not with it” and has elected to sit out until the Rockets can move him.

P.J. Tucker’s time in Houston has come to an anti-climactic end. Now is the time for the Golden State Warriors to make a move towards acquiring him.

This can mean one of two things. Either the Rockets trade Tucker, something they’ve been interested in all season long – or they waive the white flag and agree to a buyout. Either option is possible as it’s unclear who will take a swing for Tucker if they believe he might become a free agent at the end of the season anyway.

For the Warriors, a buyout is something they have to be begging for. Tucker can be a crucial piece to their rotation if they sign him and convince him to stay long-term (well, as long as an aging vet can last).

Tucker played a key role in helping the Rockets compete in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. His tough defense and consistent marksmanship from the corner made him the ideal 3-and-D player to pair with Houston’s run-and-gun style of play.

The Warriors, albeit a less-extreme version of the wild experiment Houston ran last season, can see Tucker play a very similar role with the squad. Slotting Tucker into the lineup to play defense and shoot 3-pointers is an easy way to build depth and add experience to this roster.