After word began spreading that he wanted a trade from the Houston Rockets, P.J. Tucker soon popped up on the Milwaukee Bucks’ radar last season.
Due to his defensive excellence, veteran savviness, and battle-tested experience in a postseason environment, Tucker was a dream trade target for every contender. Indeed, as the trade deadline crept closer, it seemed like every top contender was making the Rockets offers for the veteran in an attempt to bring him aboard. In the end, it was the Bucks who would come to terms with the Rockets and agree on a deal for Tucker.
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The rest is truly history. Tucker would play a key role for the Bucks throughout their playoff run, particularly as he was thrown into the starting lineup unexpectedly after a brutal injury to Donte DiVincenzo.
After enduring his share of heartbreaking defeats in previous trips to the playoffs in his career, Tucker would finally emerge as the victor and help the Bucks win the title for the first time in over 50 years. Tucker’s tenure with the team will be remembered forever for his efforts in this run.
When the surprise deal went down in March, I gave it a B+ for general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks. Well, knowing what would happen just a few months later, it seems safe to say the initial grade might need a redo to give Horst and co. the proper applause. With that being said, let us take a look back on the Tucker deal by considering all the factors that went into it and give it a new overall grade.
The financial outlook of the P.J. Tucker trade for the Milwaukee Bucks
The most challenging part for the Bucks in acquiring Tucker was overcoming the financial hurdles, as there were plenty of them.
Due to having one of the highest payrolls in the entire association, the team would have their hands tied financially, meaning Horst would have some maneuvering to do in order to absorb Tucker’s $8 million salary. Ultimately, Horst accepted the challenge and managed to masterfully craft a deal that would bring in the veteran forward. Just as it was when the deal first went down, nailing the financial aspect of this deal was quality work by the former Executive of the Year.
Of course, it would be easy to rave about the move now, knowing how crucial Tucker proved to be for the Bucks’ title-winning campaign. Considering how impactful he was for them, one could say that he deserved more money than he was making. Nevertheless, Tucker’s $8 million was a fine price to pay for the champs in their title-winning campaign, especially considering what they successfully offloaded to make the trade in the first place.
What the Milwaukee Bucks traded away in the P.J. Tucker deal
Upon viewing the trade package that the Bucks sent to the Rockets in the Tucker deal, it seemed clear that Milwaukee was the winner. They traded D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, a 2023 first rounder, and the rights to swap a 2021 second rounder in the deal.
Augustin was always likely to be included in the trade due to salary matching purposes, given the three-year deal worth $21 million he signed just months prior. That signing was viewed as a huge overpay from the beginning, which had people questioning Horst when it was announced. Yet, it did not matter as the Bucks managed to move that hefty salary in the deal, which killed two birds with one stone. Augustin never got his feet off the ground with the team as he struggled during his brief time in Milwaukee, which made this move all the better.
For more salary purposes, the Bucks included Wilson, the former first round selection, in the deal as well. Wilson showed potential periodically during his four years with the Bucks but never quite managed to carve out a steady role for himself. He was practically rotting away on Milwaukee’s bench when the move went down, and it was nice to see him get a bigger opportunity in Houston and show off his skills with a younger team. Wilson was also making solid money that season at around $4 million, so trading him for a piece that immediately contributed was solid work.
As for the draft picks, time will tell how things turn out with that first rounder in 2023. As they showed in the Jrue Holiday trade, the Bucks are willing to give up a requisite amount of draft capital if it means making a win-now move, which is precisely what they did with Tucker. They gave up plenty of pieces, but what did the Bucks get back?
What the Milwaukee Bucks acquired in the P.J. Tucker trade
While the trade was mainly focused on sending Tucker from Houston to Milwaukee, there were several other pieces attached alongside him.
Getting those out of the way first, in addition to Tucker, the Bucks received Rodions Kurucs and their own 2022 first round pick back. Kurucs would appear in just five games with the team before being waived. He was always viewed as a throw-in piece, and the team did not think twice about waiving him before replacing him with Elijah Bryant on a two-year deal. As for the draft pick, it was interesting to see Milwaukee get back their own pick, and time will tell how things end up there.
Of course, this deal was mainly about getting Tucker on their side. In doing so, the Bucks added a robust defender that could help them massively in their run through the Eastern Conference with the playoffs nearing. They pushed their chips in once again for the move but understanding that the road to the NBA Finals would be a gauntlet of challenges, the front office felt like it was a necessary move. They were right, as while he was a bench player at first, DiVincenzo’s injury made him a starter for the Bucks in the final three rounds of the playoffs and increased his importance to this team further.
Tucker’s time as a starter came against the Brooklyn Nets, where he would be assigned to guard Kevin Durant, one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. It was a hard-fought battle between the two for seven consecutive games as unstoppable offense collided with sturdy defense, which led to things getting chippy in Game 3 as the two went nose-to-nose and exchanged words. In the end, Tucker and the Bucks would come out on top in a thrilling Game 7 overtime victory, defeating the Nets and advancing to the Conference Finals for the second time in three years. They do not win that series without Tucker’s defense on Durant.
The updated overall grade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ trade for P.J. Tucker
That initial B+ grade for the Tucker deal would genuinely undersell just how impactful this move would become for the Bucks down the road. While it was impossible to predict that the forward would become a starter due to the DiVincenzo injury, everything else he brought to the table upon being traded did not get the proper recognition.
First and foremost, Tucker earned every last diamond in his championship ring during that second round series against the Nets. While he did not stop Durant by any means, Tucker used physicality to try and combat the attack offensively to wear him down, and in the end, his effort was enough as the Bucks advanced. That continued throughout the remainder of the postseason as the team used him against other stellar scorers like Trae Young and Devin Booker, which was a massive lift. Tucker’s contributions offensively were nothing to celebrate as he averaged 4.3 points per game on 38.8 percent shooting from the floor and 32.2 percent 3-point shooting. Still, they did not bring him in to score the basketball, and he understood the assignment.
While everyone can praise his efforts on the defensive end, Tucker also deserves credit for what he did to the team’s culture. From the moment he came in, the forward helped the Bucks embrace a “dog mentality” that would become somewhat of a rallying cry for the team and the fanbase in this turbulent playoff run. He was a much-needed vocal presence both on the floor and in the locker room, never shying away from the difficult conversations that needed to be had. The Bucks found themselves in trouble on multiple occasions throughout this run – down 0-2 to Brooklyn, down 0-1 to Atlanta, and down 0-2 to Phoenix – but they stayed together and battled back due to this new mentality. Tucker will certainly not get all the credit for that, but he deserves his share.
In the end, the move panned out precisely as the team envisioned when they traded for Tucker on that night in March. He proved to be an impact player and immediate contributor. Letting him walk in free agency remains the team’s most questionable decision of the offseason, but sticking solely with the trade itself, things could not have worked out better for the Bucks. They traded away two players that were hardly contributing and some draft capital for a player that would soon become a starter on a championship-winning team. Hard to beat that.
Updated BTBP Grade: A+
Fans will undoubtedly miss Tucker in Milwaukee next season, but no one can take away the memory of this title run. That will live on forever.