Philadelphia 76ers: 3 potential trade packages for P.J. Tucker

1 of 3

The Philadelphia 76ers are a bad, bad, very not good team lacking in star power, a deep bench, and a viable shot at competing for a championship anytime soon… just kidding.

A few years ago, during an era of Sixers basketball remembered fondly as the Process, that very much was the case, but between the emergence of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as perennial All-Stars, the hiring of Doc Rivers to run the show, and the brilliant decision to coax Daryl Morey out of a gap year to instead fix the roster in about an hour and a half, that is no longer the case.

Sure, the Sixers would still be wise to shore up a few spots across their roster, especially with Embiid expected to miss the next 7-10 games due to a bone bruise, but ultimately, the team will sink or swim based on the strength of their Big 3 and how aptly Morey is able to supplement that unit with auxiliary pieces.

While one could argue ad nauseam over which hypothetical route would set the team up best to beat Boston, the Bucks, the Nets, and really, any other team the Sixers could draw during the Eastern Conference playoffs, there isn’t a more obvious target than the NBA’s reigning sneaker king, P.J. Tucker.

That’s right, after years of enjoying the fruits of having superstar players, a top-notch head coach, and Morey running the show as the team’s top executive, the Rockets are now an actually bad, bad, not very good team, and the few veterans leftover from the previous regime are looking to get the heck out of dodge… or in this case, Houston.

But, assuming the tea leaves do prove true and Mr. Tucker is to become a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the coming days, what would Daryl Morey and company have to surrender to reunite with the soon-to-be-former-Rocket? Well, here are a few packages that could realistically net Tucker plus potentially more.

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

P.J. Tucker for Terrance Ferguson and the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2021 second-round pick.

More from Section 215

This is by far the easiest and most realistic trade that could go down between the two teams.

The Rockets have expressed a desire to get back young players who can assimilate into their rotation and potentially play a role with the club both now and moving forward, as opposed to deals centered solely around picks.

Landing Terrance Ferguson, a 6-foot-6 defensive-minded guard/forward who was a featured player for the OKC Thunder in 2019-20 but has struggled to find a spot in Doc Rivers’ rotation fits that bill, and landing a 2021 second helps to cushion the blow if the Rockets decide to move on from the still only 22-year-old.

And for the Sixers? Well, they’re trading a non-playing player for a grizzled vet with 50 games of playoff experience who would all but surely be a fixture of their playoff rotation. Tucker can play small ball center in lineups with Simmons sans Embiid, kick it inside to play power forward as a direct backup for Tobias Harris, and potentially even replace Danny Green in the starting five if one player is hot and the other is cold.

Granted, this move would cut into the Sixers’ war chest of trade exceptions, but honestly, it’s not like they can roll over to next year, so who really cares? Assuming the team doesn’t pull off a crazy move to acquire a player like Kyle Lowry, letting their exceptions expire for nothing isn’t an advisable decision.

Alternatively, the Sixers could do the same trade with Vincient Porier if the Rockets prefer a big and the money would still work. Either way, swapping out a player who doesn’t play for a legit contributor is an A+ move by any estimation.