The Miami Heat knew they would have work to do heading into this NBA offseason. While going out to procure new talent is one thing, by one means or another, there was another task before them.
Keeping their own talent was also to be a task, namely P.J. Tucker. Well, that task just became real and a bit harder, to be fair.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Tucker will opt out of his $7.4 million dollar pact this coming season with the Miami Heat to see what the open market has to offer. It’s no secret though, the Miami Heat would love to have him back.
Heat have said they want to keep him. Pat Riley made that clear recently. https://t.co/GISaU47MrA
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 20, 2022
Tucker had one of his better seasons in this latest one. Shooting a career-high from three-point territory, 41.5 percent to be exact, Tucker also found himself leading the league at one point throughout the year.
The Miami Heat have to go get talent to add to their roster, but they also have to keep key pieces from this past year. P.J. Tucker should be at the top of that list.
Though his shooting cooled off a bit heading into the playoffs and in the early parts of the postseason, he expanded his all-around game at this point in his career to go along with all the hustle, tenacity, and defensive chops you could ask for in a guy. All of that is what still made him a very valuable piece in a Miami Heat mix that made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now, alluding to his categorization as a “mid-level guy” recently, you could see this coming. Perhaps his renaissance, of sorts, this year in Miami even propelled him to seek more money or longer terms on his playing circumstances for next year and beyond.
This was always the expectation. Heat can offer a raise up to $8.4M for next season. Contenders may offer more. If that's the case, Tucker will have to decide between more money and staying in Miami. https://t.co/INBEvnf4lq
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) June 20, 2022
As alluded to by Wes Goldberg above, the Miami Heat can offer Tucker a slight uptick in pay in the coming year, which answers one part of the equation. Whether or not the million-dollar raise, alone can do it for Tucker is a totally different part of the equation.
Perhaps the Miami Heat could tack on another year in a deal, perhaps protecting themselves or taking the risk on another guaranteed season, outright, to retain his services. It certainly has to all be on the table.
Tucker proved this season that winning matters to him as much as anybody and the same goes for doing it the way that the Miami Heat like to do it. With all that in mind, having him back will be crucial.