P.J. Tucker’s disastrous Clippers tenure is now costing him money.
The that the veteran forward was fined $75,000 for making a public trade demand.
The fine is the largest any NBA player has received during the regular season and the largest overall since James Harden was fined $100,000 for publicly requesting a trade in August.
Tucker was acquired by the Clippers as part of the James Harden trade with the 76ers in November.
He played in 12 games as a member of the team before being removed from the rotation and hasn’t played since Nov. 27.
The Feb. 8 trade deadline came and passed without the Clippers moving Tucker and it seems the Clippers don’t plan to buy him out.
“I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all,” hours before the trade deadline. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but I have my fingers crossed and I’m hoping to go somewhere else whether I get bought out and choose where I go or where I can play.”
That wasn’t the first time Tucker has shown frustration publicly.
Tucker told Law Murray of the Athletic article that he was remaining a professional while trying to get himself in a better situation.
“We’ll see what happens these next two weeks, going into Feb. 8,” he said. “And I’ll just have to figure it out from there.”
In December, Tucker told he “feel[s] like I still got a lot to contribute to a team to be able to win, whether that’s here or somewhere else. I know myself, my worth. I know what I bring. I know what I’ve brought. I know what I can continue to bring. And with that, I want to be able to go to a good team that I can be able to help that.
When Tucker wasn’t traded before the deadline, he expressed his frustration with the situation.
“All this shit is a f—ing joke,” Tucker posted on his Instagram Story.
On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that Tucker and Bones Hyland were sent home early from the Clippers’ road trip and they were not present for the road win over the Warriors.
While it’s speculation, but it seems the Clippers have become a little fed up with Tucker.
Tucker has an $11.5 million player option for next season.
As a member of the 76ers last season, he started 75 games and played more than 25 minutes per game.