A 13-year veteran who can hit the trade block soon was called a potentially solid fit on the Boston Celtics alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Philadelphia 76ers v Boston Celtics - Game Seven

NESN’s Jason Ounpraseuth likes the idea of potential Boston Cetics trade target PJ Tucker alongside the team’s top two stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown; deeming the hypothetical fit as a “solid” one.

“It’s still early to determine who would be a buyout candidate, but P.J. Tucker reportedly is unhappy about his lack of minutes on the Los Angeles Clippers, and he’d be a solid fit around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown,” Ounpraseuth wrote. “Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Al Horford are locked-in bench players in the rotation, but another consistent contributor could help put Boston over the top to better its chances of capturing an NBA title.”

Tucker was linked to the Celtics on December 11, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

“Forward P.J. Tucker has expressed frustration about his current situation with the team, and both sides are discussing ways to resolve a role for him there or elsewhere, according to league sources,” Charania wrote.

“The 13-year NBA veteran has been a key, big-minute contributor in the last 12 years, but the 2021 NBA champion has been a DNP-CD in the last five games and has not played since Nov. 27 as coach Tyronn Lue moved rookie Kobe Brown into the rotation to infuse youth and athleticism.”

PJ Tucker could take pressure off Boston Celtics stars and provide them breather on defense
Ever since his Houston Rockets stint as a four/small-ball five under Mike D’Antoni, Tucker’s role has been anything but ambiguous: hit threes from either corner and defend as an on-ball defender to the opposing team’s best post player or swarm opposing ball-handlers as a help-defender.

That exact role would be perfect for the C’s second-unit, which has Sam Hauser hitting threes from all over the floor and playing solid on-ball defense but is far from reliable in pressure-cooker situations on that end. Tucker is battle-tested through his time in Houston and from his recent postseason runs with the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat; not to gloss over his championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

Tucker could take pressure off of Brown and Tatum, and step up whenever, or if ever, Hauser goes through another shooting slump.

Nov 13, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0), center Kristaps

Marquee Boston Celtics offseason addition’s advice for Jaylen Brown after ejection

 

Kristaps Porzingis gave his teammate and fellow bromancer Jaylen Brown advice following No. 7’s ejection during the Boston Celtics’ 133-123 victory over the New York Knicks at the TD Garden on December 8: maintain your composure and don’t let the referees shake you off your game.

“He got a little riled up, some calls and we knew that everybody needed to calm down a little bit,” Porzingis prefaced before saying, “Both teams probably feel the same way. You rarely hear someone say something good about the refs, the refs always get all the blame … I think we have to do a better job of maintaining our composure. JB, it doesn’t happen too often to him, it probably happens to more to me than anybody else on this team, but we’re working on it. This is a part where we can grow.”

Given the relationship the two have formed since Porzingis arrived in Boston, perhaps the Latvian center is the best messenger to get through to Brown; not that he’s someone who will be dealing with this kind of problem for long, as Porzingis points out.

Jaylen Brown sounded off on refs following ejection from Boston Celtics’ win over Knicks

Brown’s rant against the referees was brutal enough to warrant Porzingis chiming in. The Marietta, Georgia native called the ref who sent him to the locker room “overemotional” and repeatedly cussed during the post-game presser.

“I always thought my first career ejection would be something a little more exciting — maybe a tussle or something, guys get folded up, go to the ground, not some overemotional ref who had a bad day,” Brown exclaimed. “What I’m most upset about is I should’ve gotten my f—ing money’s worth.

“I think it’s a difference between showing emotion and it being disrespectful or derogatory towards another person. I don’t think I was directing it towards him whatsoever, especially on the second one, it wasn’t even close. I’m on the bench, I’m talking from the sideline. He can’t even hear anything I’m saying. So he called the tech from across the court. That’s for sure, [having] to do with somebody having their emotions too involved in whatever else is going on and they’re assessing their power with technical fouls. I ain’t gonna comment on officiating in general, but I am gonna comment on this guy in particular tonight. I thought that was bulls–t.”

Let’s hope Brown and the refs doesn’t become a feud that costs the Boston Celtics their All-NBA forward for any more stretches.