PHILADELPHIA — NBA executives and league sources were right: P.J. Tucker is joining the 76ers.
Tucker will sign a three-year, $33.2 million deal to join forces with Joel Embiid and James Harden, according to sources.
The Sixers also will add Danuel House to a two-year, $8.5 million deal. As a result, there will be a Houston Rockets reunion in Philly with House, Tucker, Harden, and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
Tucker and House officially came agreements on Thursday after the 6 p.m. start to free agency. Their contracts can be finalized after noon on July 6.
This came one day after Harden opted out of his $47.36 million player option for the upcoming season to clear enough salary-cap space for the Sixers to sign Tucker.
It also came several days after Tucker declined a three-year, $27 million offer to remain with the Miami Heat. Those actions went in line with what sources said over the last several days about his agreement with the Sixers, which was called a “done deal.”
Tucker was initially set to receive $27 million guaranteed with reachable incentives that could get him to $30 million from the Sixers, sources say. But he ended up with $33 million guaranteed after Miami kept pursuing him.
But no matter how much former Heat teammates tried to convince him to stay, sources said he was becoming a Sixer. They said the same thing following Thursday morning’s report that the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls were expected to offer Tucker the full mid-level exception.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound power forward, who turned 37 on May 5, averaged just 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this past season. But he shot a career-best 41.5% from beyond the 3-point line.
Tucker also has a physical presence on defense and can guard multiple positions while battling for rebounds. Offensively, he creates a matchup problem for opposing post players as a small-ball post player. And he brings a toughness the Sixers desperately need.
His toughness played a major role in the Heat eliminating the Sixers in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in May. After the Game 6 loss, Embiid talked about his desire to play with someone like Tucker.
“He’s just physical and he’s tough, and they have a few of those guys,” Embiid said. “Since I’ve been here, I’d be lying if I said we’ve had those types of guys. Nothing against what we have, it’s just the truth. We never have P.J. Tucker. That’s really what I’m trying say.
“I think physicality, once you get to the playoffs or the later rounds, you need that. You need those guys that are really tough.”
Meanwhile, House played this past season for the Rockets, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. The 6-foot-6 reserve swingman averaged 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 42 combined games with seven starts.
House used to play for the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate. He got his break as an NBA three-and-D player with the Rockets. Ideally he’s a guy who can make spot-up 3-pointers. But he’s had some up-and-down seasons.
House, 29, played 3 1/2 seasons for the Rockets before being waived on Dec. 18. Harden, 32, spent a little over eight seasons with the Rockets before forcing a trade to the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 13, 2021. Tucker spent 3 1/2 seasons in Houston before being dealt to Milwaukee at the 2021 trade deadline.
The Sixers also added Trevelin Queen on a two-year contract that is partially guaranteed for $300,000 next season. Queen, 25, had two stints with the Rockets after Morey left the organization.
He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Rockets on Nov. 30, 2020, before being waived on Dec. 16, 2021. He signed a two-way contract with the squad on Dec. 18.
