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Several big names have switched teams before the 2025 NBA trade deadline. But no one has been on the move in this trade cycle more than veteran P.J. Tucker.
Tucker, 39, was traded to the Toronto Raptors with a second-round pick and cash on Thursday as part of a deal that sent Davion Mitchell to the Miami Heat, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. It’s his third tour with the Raptors, with whom he began his NBA career in 2006 and also played with in 2016-17.
Just five days ago, he was dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Utah Jazz with Mo Bamba in exchange for Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills and a 2030 second-rounder.
But Tucker barely got to know Salt Lake City before being included in the four-team deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. He went to Miami in a package that included Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and the Warriors’ protected 2025 first-round pick. Then Tucker’s time in Miami, his second stint with the team, lasted just over 12 hours.
Tucker began last season with the Philadelphia 76ers before getting dealt to the Clippers as part of the deal that moved James Harden to L.A. He has not appeared in a game during the 2024-25 campaign after a dispute with the Clippers and has now been traded six times in his NBA career.
For his career, Tucker has averaged 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, providing value with defense (especially at an undersized 6-foot-5) and 37% percent 3-point shooting. He has been a key role player with the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and the Heat.
Tucker’s story is one of perseverance, drafted by the Raptors in the second round (No. 35 overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Texas. Following his rookie NBA campaign, he played five seasons in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany before returning to the league with the Suns in 2012.
Now, his greatest value — and profile in persistence — is as a trade chip with an $11.5 million salary in a contract that expires after this season.