PJ Tucker was frustrated that he had not been exchanged; back to Houston Rockets uncertain

Houston Rockets striker PJ Tucker, increasingly frustrated that he has not yet been changed to a candidate, was a good risk Thursday night and uncertainty remains about when he will return to training, sources told ESPN .

The Rockets have held several simultaneous trade talks with teams in recent weeks related to Tucker, talks that are expected to result in a deal for Tucker before the March 25 trade deadline, sources said.

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

So far, the Rockets ’preference for a young, productive rotation player in business conversations has been a turning point for teams, who are unwilling to part with this type of asset for a 35-year-old. with an expiring contract. said the sources.

The Rockets have been plagued by injuries and fell 125-105 to the Sacramento Kings Thursday night for their 14th straight loss.

Tucker traveled with the Rockets to Sacramento and warmed up before the game, but did not adapt to join the team on the bench. He had not been included in the injury report.

Tucker, 35, has been an essential player during his three-and-a-half-year stint with the Rockets, contributing significantly more than his 6.5-point and 5.8-game average averages indicate. He often defended the opponent’s top scorer (playing center despite being only 6 feet-5 during Houston’s short-lived small ball experience last season) and served primarily as a 3-point threat to the corner that separated the ground offensively. Tucker reaches the final season of a four-year, $ 32 million deal. The Rockets did not guarantee the final year of the deal until February 2020.

Tucker, who played in 267 straight games until an injured thigh left him out for two games in February, showed up late on the training ground this fall and acknowledged that he felt unappreciated after breaking discussions about a contract extension.

The Rockets thought they were about to sign Tucker for a two-year extension for $ 17 million with $ 10 million guaranteed, sources said, but the Houston office was wrong after Tucker’s camp countered with a proposal for a two-year agreement fully guaranteed worth $ 24 million. .

Tucker has struggled this season in the middle of the Rockets roster after the Russell Westbrook and James Harden deals.