The Boston Celtics opened their season with two monster wins over the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards. And while the Detroit Pistons gave them quite a scare on Saturday night, Boston still managed to gut out a victory late in the fourth quarter. But their Eastern Conference rivals cannot boast the same thrilling start.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only other team in the East yet to drop a game, and most of the Celtics’ top rivals are in a rough place already. The Philadelphia 76ers are 1-2, the Milwaukee Bucks are 1-2, and the Miami Heat are 1-1. Obviously, there is plenty of season left, but all three of those squads would have liked to get off to better starts.
And that’s what makes the latest trade intel so funny.
If PJ Tucker is the answer, the Celtics should feel great
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Bucks, 76ers, and Heat, alongside the Phoenix Suns, may all be interested in trading for PJ Tucker, who recently got permission from the LA Clippers to seek out trade options.
"Miami, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Philadelphia are all teams that have employed P.J. Tucker previously and have all been mentioned as teams potentially interested in Tucker if the 39-year-old can extricate himself from the Clippers," Stein wrote.
For context, Tucker only appeared in 31 games last year (with the 76ers and Clippers), and he was awful. In those games, he played 15.7 minutes and averaged 1.7 points and 2.7 rebounds on 36.0% shooting from the floor and 37.1% shooting from deep.
But that doesn’t even tell the whole story.
Tucker was a healthy scratch in most of the games he was with the Clippers for, and more often than not, he was posting zero-point, zero-shot statlines.
Miami, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia all have some familiarity with Tucker, as he has played for all three squads in recent years, but the fact that they are showing interest in him speaks volumes regarding their thoughts on their current rosters.
If they want to bring in Tucker as a mentor, that’s one thing. But if they are looking to add Tucker to their rotation, that is not a great sign for their rosters, especially considering he was a common “solution” for guarding Jayson Tatum in the postseason. That may have worked at one point in time, but at 39 years old, Tucker isn't the same player he once was.
As the Celtics are storming through the league with an elite, deep roster, the Heat, 76ers, and Bucks seem to still be searching for potential missing pieces. And Tucker is the answer they are seemingly searching for.
Boston fans should look at this news, scoff, and be reminded that the Celtics’ roster is the best in the NBA by a long shot.
They have such a chokehold over the Eastern Conference that some of their biggest rivals are looking to a 39-year-old veteran who didn’t look like a rotation player last season for answers.