Six weeks since being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the James Harden trade, P.J. Tucker is unhappy with his standing on the team.
Speaking to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com, Tucker confirmed a previous report that he wants to be doing more because “it’s not there” when asked about having a role for the Clippers.
“I feel like I still got a lot to contribute to a team to be able to win, whether that’s here or somewhere else,” Tucker said. “I know myself, my worth. I know what I bring. I know what I’ve brought. I know what I can continue to bring. And with that, I want to be able to go to a good team that I can be able to help that.”
On Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tucker “expressed frustration” to the Clippers about his current role and the two sides were “discussing ways to resolve” the situation either in Los Angeles or for another club.
Tucker began this season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He started each of their first three games, averaging 22 minutes per contest.
Since being traded to the Clippers on Nov. 1, Tucker has averaged 14.4 minutes per game in 12 appearances. He hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 27 against the Denver Nuggets.
After the 113-104 loss to the Nuggets, head coach Tyronn Lue switched up his rotation by getting rookie Kobe Brown into games ahead of Tucker. Brown, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, is averaging just under 11 minutes per game since Nov. 29.
Brown isn’t lighting up the stat sheet since getting more playing time. He’s scored a total of seven points on 15.4 percent shooting in the past six games.
Tucker’s offensive production has fallen off a cliff since the start of the 2022-23 season. The 38-year-old is averaging 3.2 points per game in his last 90 appearances, though he’s connecting on 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts when he shoots the ball.
Despite expressing frustration about his standing with the Clippers, Tucker didn’t totally close the door on finding a role with the team, but they have to be open to it.
“I mean, yeah,” he said when asked about if he sees himself having a role down the line. “I mean, obviously. Coming here, you try to figure out the best way possible to be able to do what you do. But, you know, like I said, sometimes you see it and it ain’t there. Sometimes you see it, but the team doesn’t see it the way you see it.”
The lack of offensive production from Tucker is a problem for a Clippers team that has struggled to score at times, despite having a roster with Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
Los Angeles currently ranks 13th in offensive rating and 15th in points per game. The team has scored at least 130 points twice in the past six games after failing to hit that mark in any of its first 16 games.
Tucker is making $11 million this season and has an $11.5 million player option for 2024-25.
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