Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker may have two years left on his current deal, but it’s never too early to start talking extension. When does Tucker want those conversations to take place? Right now, according to The Athletic.
While Tucker still has two years left, he has his reasons for wanting to get the deal done sooner.
As far as his long-term future with Houston, both Tucker and the team want him to stick around. This season is the last fully guaranteed year he has on the four-year, $32 million deal he signed in 2016. With 2020-21 only partially guaranteed, Tucker wants his future sorted out sooner, rather than later.
“It’s now,” he said of getting a new deal done. “It’s time for my extension right now, so we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. I’m optimistic, we’ll see.”
Tucker, 34, has been a major part of the Rockets since signing with the team. He has been credited as being the heart and soul of the team, according to The Athletic.
Last season, he averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Tucker’s biggest impact, however, came on the defensive end, where he finished just a point shy of making the NBA All-Defensive second team.
While it’s early, getting a deal done isn’t out of the question. There’s reportedly interest on both sides. If the Rockets truly believe Tucker’s impact on the organization goes far beyond his numbers, figuring out a way to keep him shouldn’t be hard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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