The Los Angeles Clippers have sent veteran forward PJ Tucker and third-year guard Bones Hyland home from their current road trip, according to Shams Charania. Both players are expected to rejoin the team after the All-Star break. The Clippers are playing their final contest before the All-Star Game on Wednesday night in San Francisco against the Warriors. They won't play again until Feb. 22.
Tucker, who arrived in Los Angeles via the James Harden trade early this season, has long been frustrated with his lack of playing time with the Clippers. He has not appeared in a game since Nov. 27 and discussions between him and the team regarding a resolution have been going on since at least December, per The Athletic.
Nothing transpired at the trade deadline, however, and Tucker posted "All this shit is a f---ing joke," shortly afterward on his Instagram story. The Clippers' decision to send him home on Wednesday is a clear indication that the relationship between player and team still needs work.
Despite the friction, there have been no substantial talks regarding a buyout, in large part because Tucker has an $11.5 million player option for next season. He would certainly not receive such an offer on the open market this summer if he was an unrestricted free agent.
As long as the Clippers keep rolling and are in the fight for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, it's unlikely that Tucker is going to gain a significant spot in the rotation. However, he could see some playing time down the stretch in the event of injuries or if the Clippers want to load manage Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to keep them fit for the playoffs.
As for Hyland, he has also been displeased with his role. After starting a few games early in the season, Hyland has barely played since Harden arrived and got rolling. His last outing came on Jan. 31, and when he has gotten into a game these last few months, it's been for mop-up duty. He seems even less likely to break into head coach Ty Lue's rotation than Tucker.
