The verdict on whether or not a P.J. Tucker reunion is worth pursuing for the Milwaukee Bucks
Even though he hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, I still think that Milwaukee should stay away from Tucker. That may be a controversial take considering what he meant for the team during his time there, but you don’t want to be dumping your entire mid-level exception for a guy who doesn’t have it anymore. You just never know when somebody his age is going to hit the point in their career when they aren’t what they used to be, and you don’t want to have a situation where that happens when you’re trying to win a championship.
At the same time, I wouldn’t be losing my mind if Milwaukee digs into the idea of bringing him back. As long as we don’t get stuck with the P.J. Tucker that doesn’t have it anymore, I’ll be alright with it. He’s been an elite defender and great locker room guy for his entire career, so I could never complain with them trying to bring one back on.
The real question here, though, is whether or not bringing back Tucker is a realistic possibility. Milwaukee may have burned the bridge of having any possibility to retain Tucker with the way they handled his free agency last summer. In an interview with Marc J. Spears, Tucker spoke of how he felt disrespected by the way the Bucks went about the process of his free agency last summer.
If Tucker is willing to forgive the team, then maybe they can start some negotiations. Milwaukee doesn’t have as much money to offer Tucker as other contenders may be able to, so that may throw a wrench in things as well.
Stay tuned to see what the Bucks will do in free agency, with July 1st coming up fast.