NBA Rumors: Rival teams confident former NBA champion will sign with Philadelphia 76ers on a three-year, $30M deal

The Philadelphia 76ers appear to be on the move, with the latest reports suggesting their interest in P.J. Tucker. Tucker’s defensive strength and offensive capabilities were on display when the Miami Heat played the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Tucker was an instant fit into the rotation, starting in 70 of his 71 games during the regular season – averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Tucker marginally increased his contributions during the playoffs, averaging 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 18 games.

The contributions of a player like Tucker aren’t always visible on the stat sheet, but are indispensable for a championship-caliber team. His game sense, effort on defense, and just his veteran presence makes him a valuable addition. That explains the interest from the Philadelphia 76ers. His addition to the Milwaukee Bucks helped Milwaukee's 2021 championship run.

According to Marc Stein, numerous rival teams believe Tucker will sign a three-year, $30 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer. A week ago, Tucker opted out of his $7.4 million player option with the Heat, making himself available as a free agent.

Tucker has previously shared the court with James Harden – in Houston – which makes this proposed trade even more interesting. The Philadelphia 76ers’ defensive weakness was evident against Miami. That's a gap that can be filled by a role player like Tucker.

It will be interesting to see which players from the 76ers roster will be involved in the trade to bring Tucker on board.

The Philadelphia 76ers need to capitalize on Joel Embiid’s growth

Joel Embiid grew by leaps and bounds this season, even coming close to winning the MVP award. He played 68 games and averaged a league-high 30.6 ppg – along with 11.7 rpg and 1.5 blocks per game. Embiid scored 40 or more points on 13 occasions, with just two of those games ending in a defeat.

The Philadelphia 76ers decided to give Embiid additional scoring support by bringing in James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets. Although the duo had moments of magic together, overall, their time together was rather limited. The duo could possibly figure out a way to work together over the summer, building some chemistry in the process.

The 76ers have made the playoffs over the last five seasons but haven’t been able to make deep runs. As Embiid progresses in his game, the 76ers are looking to surround Embiid with the right talent and support.

The addition of Harden strengthened the roster on paper, but the benefits of that deal are yet to appear. With some adjustments, the 76ers should be able to build a roster to compete again – but this time with more success.