P.J. Tucker spent Thursday afternoon 2 miles away from US Airways Center, donating $9,000 and putting on a youth basketball clinic at the I.G. Homes branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix. When he left, Tucker did not say goodbye. He mentioned popping by there again. As a Sun or a visitor? Tucker becomes a restricted free agent at the end of June but there is nothing about his actions or the team's stance that suggests he will not be back. Tucker, a Raleigh, N.C., native, and his family are living in the Valley this offseason. He works out at US Airways Center. The Suns called him a free-agency priority. The only unknowns are what Tucker can command on the market and whether any team's offer could dissuade the Suns from their right to match it and retain the player whom they consider the team's heart and soul. "It's always kind of crazy," Tucker said. "You don't know what's going to happen. I don't think teams know all the time when another team is going to jump out there. I'm excited to go through it. "I don't know what their (the Suns') direction is. I know I had great years and that they like me, but they might look another direction. It's a business. Always has been, always will be. Maybe they draft a player who they think can do what I do at my position. Maybe they move on, maybe they don't. I don't know. I'm excited to see, though." Tucker has toiled to be in this position. He was waived as a Toronto rookie in 2007, sending him to Ukraine, Israel, Puerto Rico and Germany to make a basketball living. The Suns brought him back to the NBA in 2012 with a two-year deal on a veteran's minimum salary, and Tucker turned into a staple in the 2013-14 starting lineup with an improved 3-point shot and a reputation that caught up with his 2012-13 defense. - See more at: http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ain-restricted-free-agent-pj-tucker/10546501/
