PJ Tucker’s road back to the court just got considerably longer. Less than one month after the veteran forward re-joined the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, the team officially cut him from its roster.
While the move was expected for a while, Toronto made it official on Friday, Shams Charania reported. The move now cuts the Raptors’ roster down to 16 players, including two-way players Ulrich Chomche and A.J. Lawson. That does not include third-year guard Jared Rhoden, who is currently on a 10-day contract.
Tucker has not played a game since May 2024 in the Los Angeles Clippers’ opening-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. His brief, fugazi period with the Raptors was his third stint with the team. Tucker began his career with Toronto in 2006 and returned to the team for one season in 2016-2017.
The Raptors re-acquired Tucker at the deadline from the Miami Heat, who received him as a part of the Jimmy Butler-Andrew Wiggins blockbuster trade. Toronto sent defensive stalwart Davion Mitchell to Miami in exchange for Tucker and a second-round pick.
Tucker began the year with the Clippers, where he finished the 2023-2024 year, but decided to remain away from the team before the season began. The 39-year-old veteran three-and-D wing still desires to continue his career.
Raptors continue flurry of roster moves amid ongoing struggles
The Raptors officially cutting Tucker adds to their constant roster moves late in a lost season. At the time of Tucker’s release, Toronto is staring at an 18-41 record and is all but eliminated from the 2025 playoffs.
Since the trade deadline, the Raptors signed Brandon Ingram — whom they also acquired via trade — to a three-year extension. They have also continued to bounce Rhoden, JaKobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamison Battle and Orlando Robinson to and from their G-League affiliate, the 905 Raptors.
In addition to Mitchell, the Raptors also parted ways with Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown at the deadline. Olynyk and Brown were sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Ingram, along with a first and second-round pick.
Amid the flurry of changes, Toronto is just 3-8 in February with one game remaining. Since their five-game win streak late in January, the Raptors have spiraled downhill.
Despite the overall negativity, the Raptors’ 2025 trade deadline transactions turn them into potential Eastern Conference threats in 2025-2026. The young roster is already full of budding talent, which Ingram will ideally elevate once he makes his official debut.
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