The Philadelphia 76ers made their moves in free agency rather quickly. They brought in PJ Tucker on a reported 3-year $33.2 million deal just minutes into free agency and it was widely expected that Tucker to Philadelphia was essentially a done deal before the period even began.
Tucker has heavy connections to the Sixers as he played with James Harden while with the Houston Rockets and Daryl Morey was the team’s GM at the time. It makes this addition almost a no-brainer and it made sense as to why he would head there.
However, the way the deal was done so quickly brings up obvious tampering questions. Per NBA veteran reporter Marc Stein via his substack, the Sixers are expected to be under the investigation microscope from the league:
I’m told that Philadelphia’s signing of P.J. Tucker is also likely to be placed under the investigation microscope by the league office. Tucker, of course, was signed away from the Miami Heat, who were docked a second-round pick as a penalty for “early free agency discussions” connected to their sign-and-trade acquisition of Kyle Lowry last summer. This Substack reported on June 26 — four days before the start of free agency — that numerous rival teams were already convinced that Tucker was Philly-bound. Tucker’s three-year, $33 million deal to join the Sixers was duly announced by his agent one minute into free agency.
This isn’t anything new for Morey as he has been penalized for tampering in the past. Considering the quickness of the Tucker addition, there is a good chance that Philadelphia could be penalized again for a tampering violation.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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