PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland were sent home before the match against the Warriors. While the news may seem like a sudden jolt to some fans, it was far from that.
With the Clippers firmly in playoff contention, any drama on the team can deal a hammer blow to their aspirations. As things did not quite stay behind the closed door, the unwanted attention surrounding the situation raised the question: why were the duo sent home?
Clippers sent PJ Tucker home alongside Bones Hyland
Since November 27, Clippers power forward PJ Tucker has not been part of a single game after playing only 12 games with the Clippers. He was exasperated with the situation and decided to speak out in public.
He revealed on a public platform that he wished to be traded to some other franchise before the trade deadline. But that did not go well for him. In a public declaration, the NBA announced that the forward has been fined $75,000 by the NBA.
Unfortunately, there was no trade offer for the NBA Champion and he has to wait for the offseason. This is the final year of his $33.2 million contract and once the season gets over, he will be a free agent.
A similar situation has happened with Clippers guard Bones Hyland. The 23-year-old was traded last February in a four-team trade and has since played 19 games this season and averaged 6.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists by playing for 13.2 minutes per game. He has struggled to perform well and missed 25 out of 32 shots and 13 3-pointers out of the 16 he got. He was last seen on January 31, where he played for just 5 minutes and scored 2 points and 1 rebound.
Both Tucker and Hyland were dropped from the roster and were sent back to LA before the game with the Warriors, which the Clippers won 130-125. As per reports, they will join the roster after the NBA All-Star break.
Ty Lue speaks on PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland situation
The 38-year-old Tucker publicly opened up about his stay with the Clippers, which gives a brief idea of how he feels about the treatment. In an interview, he stated, “I feel like I still got a lot to contribute to a team to be able to win, whether that’s here or somewhere else”. He continued, “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 able to help.”
The HC Ty Lue has spoken about the situation and thinks that they need to take rest after the situations they have gone through so that they can be mentally prepared and come back stronger after the NBA All-Star break.
Lue said, “The team we got now, we’ve been playing at a high level right now … It’s not any room right now. So they understand that they want to play and compete. They didn’t get traded, they’re going to be here. And we want to give them a little time, get their heads right, come back to Oklahoma City and be ready to go.”
The Clippers are in the third position on the Western Conference table and are competing for the title race, which does not allow them to take a risk now. At the moment, they are not looking for any drama surrounding the team and are only concentrating on their next game against OKC after the break.
