PJ Tucker’s agent recently met in person with Rockets GM Rafael Stone

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and the agent of veteran forward PJ Tucker met in person earlier this week in Houston to discuss a contract extension, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Talks between Stone and Tucker’s representation, led by Andre Buck of Arete Sports, have continued throughout the week, Scotto reports.

Tucker is entering the final season of a four-year, $32-million deal that he signed with Houston in July 2017. While he would like an extension to stay with the Rockets, his advanced NBA age complicates the matter, since Tucker will be 36 years old when his next contract begins.

Here’s how Scotto characterizes the state of negotiations, as of Saturday:

Entering the last year of his existing deal, Tucker’s lack of an extension has clearly been a sore subject during his talks with the media at training camp. Tucker arrived slightly late, which is atypical for him, and he did not travel with the team on a preseason road trip to Chicago for two games.

However, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported Friday that both the team and Tucker were “hopeful” of a deal being reached.

It could be seen as an encouraging sign that Tucker is open to negotiating with Houston next offseason, even if he isn’t given a contract extension in the interim. However, even in that scenario, there’s certainly still some risk of Tucker choosing another suitor and leaving for no compensation. As such, should an extension not be reached, Stone and the Rockets would at least have to consider a trade, if the market for him is robust.

A gritty and versatile 6-foot-5 forward, Tucker has shown immense value to the Rockets in recent years — both on and off the court. Over three seasons in Houston, Tucker has averaged 6.8 points (36.9% on 3-pointers) and 6.0 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game. While he’s one of the team’s older players, he’s also the only Rocket to play in every game in both the regular season and playoffs during those years. Since 2012-13, Tucker has played in the most games of any player in the entire league.

Tucker is widely regarded as one of the NBA’s best and toughest defenders, and he’s also one of the top leaders in Houston’s locker room.

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Rockets, PJ Tucker reportedly hopeful of contract extension agreement