Talen Horton-Tucker

When the Lakers drafted Talen Horton-Tucker in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, they viewed the young guard as a possible off-the-ball scoring threat next to the likes of their stars. 

Horton-Tucker has shown a lot of this potential both in Summer League and in the Preseason through the years, but he has yet to prove that he can sustain success on the floor either in the starting rotation or off-the-bench over the course of a season. 

While Talen Horton-Tucker has not been bad necessarily, he has not been great either given his new contract. The Lakers signed the 21-year-old shooting guard to a new three-year, $30.7 million deal ahead of the start of this season, a deal that they now desperately need to try and get out of. 

Being young and still possessing potential for growth, the Lakers could absolutely hold onto Talen Horton-Tucker and look to develop him further, but this would likely cost the Lakers time and money that could be devoted to contending to a championship instead. 

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Trading Talen Horton-Tucker seems like the smartest move for this franchise right now and they are prepared to hear out offers for him in the offseason. However, they did so at the trade deadline and very few teams showed any level of interest in Horton-Tucker, especially given what the Lakers were asking for. 

With his trade value way down from where it was this past offseason and the Lakers likely not getting much in return for him in a trade, Talen Horton-Tucker is really just more of a salary-filler than a real asset at this point. 

Getting out of the $10.3 million they owe Horton-Tucker next season is essential for the Lakers, especially if they are to fix their problems in their second unit.