Suns officially sign, bring back P.J. Tucker
Jul 24, 2014, 1:57 AM | Updated: 1:57 am
The Phoenix Suns have officially signed forward P.J. Tucker.
Tucker agreed to a three-year deal earlier in the month and the Suns announced it Wednesday.
“P.J. is one of the most rugged competitors in the entire league,” said general manager Ryan McDonough. “We love his passion and his fire. We are happy that he will remain in a Suns uniform for the foreseeable future.”
Tucker, 29, started 81 games for the Suns and averaged a career-high 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 30 minutes last season.
He continued to emerge as the team’s defensive stopper, often defending the opponent’s best scorer. At 6-foot-6 and 224 pounds with good athleticism, Tucker has the size and ability to guard anyone from point guards to power forwards.
In 2012-13, Tucker started 45 games, averaging 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 24.2 minutes.
Prior to joining the Suns Tucker spent five seasons overseas playing professional basketball.
Tucker was the No. 35 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He lasted part of one season in the NBA before getting sent to the D-League and being waived.
In 2012, Tucker returned to the NBA when the Suns signed him on a two-year contract.
