The Phoenix Suns should bring P.J. Tucker back home

With the Houston Rockets rumored to be open for trade business, the Phoenix Suns should see if they can bring P.J. Tucker back home.

Last summer, the Phoenix Suns acquired two players and a draft pick from the Houston Rockets. That included Trevor Ariza through free agency on a one-year deal and Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton via trade.

After another disappointing playoff exit, Rockets GM Daryl Morey is reportedly looking at every possible scenario to improve his team next season.

Could Phoenix have any interest in anything from Houston this summer? The front office would have to look at what they have to offer, what it would cost to acquire that asset and how much it would help the Suns.

James Harden isn’t going to be available, not even for Devin Booker and the sixth pick. I wouldn’t do that deal either. Harden is an ASU alumni and MVP candidate but Booker is the face of the franchise and 7 years younger.

Eric Gordon is a proven shooter and could be a sixth man that would help take some of the scoring load off of Booker but he’s on a $14.1 million expiring contract and it would be tough to make it work, unless it’s a swap for Tyler Johnson but that doesn’t help either team by that much.

Chris Paul is too old (just turned 34) and just signed a crazy contract. He just finished year one of a four year contract that will pay him a total of $159M dollars. He also only played 58 games this past season, his second lowest thus far in his career.

This year featured career-low 41.9% field goal shooting, a .358 three point percentage that was his second worst in his last 12 seasons, a career-low 3.5 free throw attempts, a career-low scoring average and his second worst assists average since he was a rookie.

No thank you. Several years ago, absolutely. Now? Nope.

Then you have Clint Capela who is a young, defensive center with a bright future who averaged 16.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s only 25 and this makes him very intriguing.

However, will he fit with Deandre Ayton? Both are centers and both belong in the paint at this point in their young careers.

Could it work?

Sure.

Are you willing to bet the four years that are left on a five year $90 million contract on it?

Nope.

There are several unproven players on the Rockets that could be good in a change of scenery but they don’t stand out and have yet to do anything that makes you go anything other than “eh”.

They don’t owe their first round pick this year since they traded it and therefore they can’t trade their first round pick next year. Due to league rules, a team isn’t allowed to trade their first round picks in consecutive seasons.

The only thing that really makes sense between the two teams is a P.J. Tucker reunion.

His contract is reasonable as it goes two more years at $8M each for $16M total. However, only $2.5M of his 2020-21 salary is guaranteed if he’s waived before July 1, 2020.

This makes you not focus too much on his age. He just turned 34 years old and that doesn’t fit in with the youth on this roster but the junkyard dog still has scrap in the tank and his attitude alone could help this young team. If for whatever reason things don’t work out, they waive him after next season and only pay $2.5 million, clearing about $5.5 million from their cap.

The question is what it would take to get Houston to bite. A deal would likely look like this.

This wouldn’t bring back much in return for Josh Jackson. However, he has pretty much over stayed his welcome at this point. He hasn’t worked out on the court and has made some bad decisions that reflect the franchise in a negative manner off the court.

It would be beneficial for both the Suns and Jackson to part ways at this point. He could use a fresh start and maybe Houston will be able to bring out the best in him. His defense and athleticism could remind Mike D’Antoni of Shawn Marion and he could work wonders with him. They aren’t giving up a lot to take the risk.

For the Suns, they get a future first round pick for Josh while bringing in the junkyard dog who can be the gritty defender next to Ayton while being a mentor for the youth on the squad, especially the defensive wings like Mikal Bridges. He would help bring a winning mentality to Phoenix and that’s something the team is trying to do right now.

With the rumor that the Rockets are looking to make a deal, the Phoenix Suns should call and see if this deal is something they’d be interested in. Bring P.J. Tucker back home.