Clippers Moving Below Tax Line In Trading PJ Tucker To Jazz

The Los Angeles Clippers are trading forward P.J. Tucker, center Mohamed Bamba, a future second-round pick and cash to the Utah Jazz for big man Drew Eubanks and guard Patty Mills, per NBA insiders Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN.PJ Tucker, Clippers, NBA

According to Law Murray of The Athletic, the second-rounder is the Clippers’ 2030 pick.

The deal is primarily a cost-cutting move for LA, which drops below the luxury tax fold by exchanging Tucker’s $11.54 million deal for Eubanks’ $5 million. Bamba and Mills are on expiring minimum salary deals ($2.1 million apiece).

That means the Clippers will be about $ million below the tax line as a result of the deal.

As written by Tristan Tucker of Hoops Rumors: “Besides generating significant savings this season, the move could financially benefit the team in the long run, since it’s a first step toward resetting the repeater taxpayer clock after spending the previous four years in tax territory.”

Along with all that, the Clippers are creating trade exceptions worth $6.54 million and $2.1 million, per Marks and HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan.

Tucker. 39, has yet to play this season and will mostly have his contract bought out by the Jazz. He’d been pining for a trade out of LA after arriving via the James Harden trade with Philadelphia before last season.

That said, Tucker could potentially stick with Utah, taking over the older veteran slot previously occupied by Mills. Per Murray, the Clippers intend to keep Mills on the roster for the moment, though that could change between now and the NBA trade deadline on Thursday.

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