The Phoenix Suns have officially gone into free fall and with that comes a lot of trade rumors. P.J. Tucker is one of the many names on the block for the Suns and he has reportedly been garnering some interest. One of the teams to have expressed interest is the Toronto Raptors, according to Marc Stein of ESPN, the team that most recently beat the Suns.
It is unclear how serious the Suns are about possibly trading for Tucker but a deal would make a lot of sense. The Raptors small forward position has been ravaged by injuries this season and they could use some depth there. DeMarre Carroll is recovering from knee surgery and is making progress but has no timetable for a recovery, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. As for James Johnson, another Toronto small forward, he is currently on crutches with an ankle injury and got an MRI on Tuesday, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Both guys will likely be back this season and maybe even sometime soon but the Raptors have to have a backup plan in case these injuries linger and Tucker would be a solid choice. Tucker is the prototypical "3-and-D" wing as he provides lockdown defense on the perimeter and has shot the three at a 35 percent clip so far this season. Tucker is technically under contract for next season at $5.3 million but it is non-guaranteed so effectively he is an expiring contract which makes him more attractive.
A lot of teams will likely be looking for players like Tucker as the deadline nears so it is likely he will get dealt. It is now a matter of how high the Suns can drive the price up for him. Stein expects the Suns to "seek a nice pick" in return for Tucker so we will have to wait and see if any teams, including the Raptors, would be willing to do that. The Raptors do have the New York Knicks pick for this year at their disposal so it is a question of if that's what it would take or if they can just trade back some young players and maybe a second round pick.
The Raptors are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference and them and the Cavaliers have somewhat separated themselves from the pack. Because of that it would seem like this is the time for them to go for it and although trading for a guy like Tucker won't be a huge deal it would still be very helpful. You can't know what you might get from Carroll or Johnson the rest of this year so having Tucker as a backup plan, or a bench player at worst, is definitely worthwhile as long as the price isn't outrageous.
