The Toronto Raptors have added another veteran to gear up for the playoffs. Adrian Wojnarowski reports Toronto has acquired forward P.J. Tucker from Phoenix in exchange for center Jared Sullinger and two second-round picks.
Sources: Toronto is sending Jared Sullinger and two future second-round picks to Phoenix for PJ Tucker.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
Dealing for Tucker is a no-brainer for team president Masai Ujiri, especially at an inexpensive cost. The 31-year-old is an elite defender on the wing and can stretch the floor. In 57 games with the Suns, Tucker is averaging seven points, six rebounds, and 1.5 steals, shooting 33 percent from deep and 41 percent from the field. An expiring contract at season’s end, Tucker will add another veteran rotation player to a greatly improved Raptors club.
The two second-round picks are inconsequential for Toronto, considering how much young talent is currently on the team. The fact Ujiri managed to get Tucker, who was reportedly being shopped for a first-rounder, for two seconds and Sullinger is quite the coup.
In the past week, Ujiri has been aggressive in beefing up the Raptors roster. Toronto has been sliding down the standings in recent weeks due to injuries and poor play. Right now, the club sits 4th in the East with a 33-24 record. After using a series of anchors at power forward, Toronto acquired Serge Ibaka from the Orlando Magic earlier this month. At the cost of Terrence Ross and a first-round pick previously owned by the Clippers, Ujiri addressed the team’s biggest weakness. Ibaka and Tucker instantly improve Toronto’s porous defense at low costs.
If you’d asked me whether or not the Raptors would be able to add two quality bigs without giving up any young assets, I’d be incredibly surprised. But Ujiri struck early on Ibaka and waited late on Tucker, allowing him to get each at a discounted price.
The Suns dealt Tucker, a player well-respected across the league, in order to collect more assets, even if they’re just second-round picks. Phoenix didn’t get the first-round pick they desired, but did manage to get some value for a player who was likely to walk during free agency. Sullinger has missed the majority of the season and, upon returning, hasn’t been in game shape. He’s a talented player, but he’s nowhere near where he needs to be to contribute regularly and was purely a cap-filler in the deal.
The icing on the cake for Toronto is that teams above them did little to address their needs. The Wizards traded for Bojan Bogdanovic, but failed to add more to a depleted bench. The Cavaliers, despite LeBron’s incessant whining about needing to acquire a backup point guard, stood pat. Best of all for Toronto, the Boston Celtics, who were rumored all month to be dangling Brooklyn’s first-round pick to acquire star power (Paul George and Jimmy Butler were mentioned) did absolutely nothing.
Boston Celtics: No deals. "Standing pat," source says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
Does this make the Raptors the team to beat in the East? No. Overtaking the defending NBA champion Cavaliers isn’t an easy task. However, acquiring Tucker for so little and adding Ibaka improves an already talented roster at key positions. The Raptors have a legitimate shot against the Cavs, which is all the organization could hope for at this time.
Steal for the raptors!