Grade the trade: Tucker to Raptors

[Qwigglez]

How does everyone feels about trading Tucker for 2 2nd round picks.

Spoiler:

Personally, I like the trade. Last year we kept Mirza Teletovic at the deadline even though I'm pretty sure a team or two would have given up at least a 2nd round pick.We lost him for nothing over the offseason. Trading Tucker for 2 2nd round picks, while not a great value, was a trade we needed to make. Tucker was playing 28.5 minutes per game and it's time to let the young guns get those minutes. I'll give the Suns a B.

[RaisingArizona]

B seems fair to me. Could have been better but at least we got something of value for a 25 game rental.

[bwgood77]

Raptors players were happy.

[nbafan341]

I felt like McD couldve gotten a better set of 2nd rounders for pj tucker. How many picks does boston have? Nonetheless, getting picks to acquire talent is underrated and mcD could find talent late in the draft. Good trade considering PJ was helping the suns win games and he may not have been resigned. How much salary do you think PJ is in the running for? he's going to be a 32 year old defender/corner 3pt shooter. Im expecting him to find a contract anywhere from 12-15 mil for 4 years.

[DaleyBlind]

A. 1st round pick
B. 2 2nd round picks
C, 2nd round pick

Id like to lock in B, 2 2nd round picks.

[darealjuice]

B from me. 2 second round picks for a 2-3 month rental of PJ Tucker is decent value, and they also give us the option to move up late in the draft if there's an underrated prospect that we're in love with. Glad we brought in an expiring contract with them and didn't sacrifice any future cap flexibility.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I felt like McD couldve gotten a better set of 2nd rounders for pj tucker. How many picks does boston have? Nonetheless, getting picks to acquire talent is underrated and mcD could find talent late in the draft. Good trade considering PJ was helping the suns win games and he may not have been resigned. How much salary do you think PJ is in the running for? he's going to be a 32 year old defender/corner 3pt shooter. Im expecting him to find a contract anywhere from 12-15 mil for 4 years.

I think the fact he didn't get more is proof nothing more was on the table.

I'm totally cool with the trade but only give its a C. Reason being its not like he got great value but took what he could get so to me thats a passable grade. Not going to win them all.

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[DaleyBlind]

What year are the picks??

[kennydorglas]

very late 2nd picks? very meh
but i'm just glad he's getting a chance to play in the postseason
I was never a huge fan of PJ but he deserved better.

[kennydorglas]

What year are the picks??

17' and 18'

[GMATCallahan]

A few weeks ago, I suggested pairing Tucker with Tyson Chandler in trade negotiations, basically for fear of this outcome—that if the Suns traded Tucker on his own, they would receive virtually nothing in return. (Or, to put it another way, throwing Tucker into a Chandler deal could have improved what Phoenix would receive for the big man.)

Perhaps McDonough attempted to pair them and matters did not work out, but this trade does nothing for me. Perhaps the two second-round draft picks will become the next Draymond Green and Isaiah Thomas (two second-round picks themselves), and years ago, Phoenix drafted future All-Stars Jeff Hornacek and Cedric Ceballos in the second round, along with Richard Dumas, who probably would have become an All-Star had he not succumbed to substance abuse. But those Phoenix picks occurred a long time ago, when players spent more time in college and the draft proved deeper, and despite the recent success of Green and Thomas, most second-round picks amount to nothing. Of course, the Suns could use them to sweeten another deal, but in that case, they are essentially trinkets—easily obtainable and easily expendable.

[Dry_Fish]

Tucker needed to be trade due to his age on a team like the Suns. I do miss this attitude as that can rub off on younger players

[Qwigglez]

A few weeks ago, I suggested pairing Tucker with Tyson Chandler in trade negotiations, basically for fear of this outcome—that if the Suns traded Tucker on his own, they would receive virtually nothing in return. (Or, to put it another way, throwing Tucker into a Chandler deal could have improved what Phoenix would receive for the big man.)

Perhaps McDonough attempted to pair them and matters did not work out, but this trade does nothing for me. Perhaps the two second-round draft picks will become the next Draymond Green and Isaiah Thomas (two second-round picks themselves), and years ago, Phoenix drafted future All-Stars Jeff Hornacek and Cedric Ceballos in the second round, along with Richard Dumas, who probably would have become an All-Star had he not succumbed to substance abuse. But those Phoenix picks occurred a long time ago, when players spent more time in college and the draft proved deeper, and despite the recent success of Green and Thomas, most second-round picks amount to nothing. Of course, the Suns could use them to sweeten another deal, but in that case, they are essentially trinkets—easily obtainable and easily expendable.

The problem with trading Chandler though is I'm sure we'd want an expiring contract in return and all the teams supposedly interested didn't have any that would make a trade feasible. Blazers seemed to have been heavily interested in Chandler before trading for Nurkic but then we'd be stuck with something long-term or a hard-to-move contract like Meyers Leonard. All in all I think we attempted to move Chandler if the right deal was in place, but I didn't see anything remotely available that made sense.

Moving Tucker for the picks wasn't a very good return, like you said small trinkets. However, at least it frees up more playing time for TJ Warren, Bender (if he returns) and possibly Derrick Jones Jr. We might even see Booker slide to the 3 and Knight play the 2 with him. Alan Williams might see more minutes too, and he brings similar energy to what PJ brought.

[Frank Lee]

for a team going nowhere, that needs substantially more than some chump change second rounders .... i would hope PJ was consulted prior to the deal. He has been a well liked leader on this team and it seems it would have been in line with Watson's 'family vibe' to at least give PJ the final nod or at least a heads up. If not, goes to show that flap eared leprechaun GM continues to treat players like baseball cards. Who really wins here? May be PJ in the long run if he balls out for a final contract run. But McD has no business to label this one a trade victory when he clearly re-chalked the boundary of business and team. Junky got to junk.

I give it an incomplete, as every trade involving future unknowns deserve.

[Damkac]

B
The return isn't great but it's better than nothing. Tucker is a fighter who never give up on the floor and that's cool but he is much more useful for playoffs team than for rebuilding team.
2nd round pick aren't worthless. Each of them is a small chance of getting IT, Draymond Green, Dragic, Manu, Marc Gasol, Gortat etc. Sure it's a very small chance but with good scouting and bit of luck you can get valuable player and you have nothing to lose. Conclusion: the more 2nd round picks you got the better.

[Zelaznyrules]

I gave it a C, it's hard for me to justify more than a passing grade considering the picks have virtually no value. But I'm okay with a C grade, opening up playing time was probably more important than netting a pick in the late 20's IMO. I just wish we'd found a similar offer for Chandler, opening up playing time for Len and Williams is even more important than freeing up time for Warren (and maybe Jones) IMO.

[sunstrooper]

Straight F. The stupidity surrounding the Suns organisation is off the charts yet again. Absolutely no sense in this trade, other than appealing to people whose single interest in basketball starts and ends with trades, the draft and fantasy games. These 2 picks make zero sense from a basketball standpoint and from the team's perspectives point as well. Can't understand FO's logic and end-game...to be bad on purpose to get ton of pointless picks (pointless, given how young this team is already), and to expect to sucessfully trade for a superwhiner. Well, superwhiners won't go to a bad team with a losing culture and full of unproven young guys.
On another note, I'm glad that Tucker got a chance for probably at least conference finals. A guy with his integrity, energy, leadership and will to give it all on the court deserves to taste success.

[Zelaznyrules]

Straight F. The stupidity surrounding the Suns organisation is off the charts yet again. Absolutely no sense in this trade, other than appealing to people whose single interest in basketball starts and ends with trades, the draft and fantasy games. These 2 picks make zero sense from a basketball standpoint and from the team's perspectives point as well. Can't understand FO's logic and end-game...to be bad on purpose to get ton of pointless picks (pointless, given how young this team is already), and to expect to sucessfully trade for a superwhiner. Well, superwhiners won't go to a bad team with a losing culture and full of unproven young guys.
On another note, I'm glad that Tucker got a chance for probably at least conference finals. A guy with his integrity, energy, leadership and will to give it all on the court deserves to taste success.

Wow, you sure define integrity and leadership differently than I would. Missing team bus, missing team plane, crying after every foul call, game crushing Technical Fouls, extreme DUI? These aren't examples of leadership or integrity in my book. He's a marginal player that rarely uses his head. He usually plays with heart but there is more to the game of basketball.

[Damkac]

When did PJ become fans favorite player? Not so long ago everybody hated him. Or maybe some people simply hates McD and would be mad no matter what would he do?

[sunstrooper]

For me personally PJ has always been a favorite, it's just that his haters are way more vocal.
Besides, it takes a certain level of frustration for me to be reached to prompt me to post here as I'm not at all interested in neither trade speculations, drafts or fantasy stuff and hence can't fit in.
PS. : About the integrity - what you said concerns strictly off-the-court things that I don't care for at all. All I care is what happens on the court, and there I see from him exactly what I said.