The Lakers have issued a $1.89MM qualifying offer to Talen Horton-Tucker, allowing him to enter restricted free agency, the team announced. Los Angeles will have the right to match any offer sheet Horton-Tucker signs with another club.
Horton-Tucker, 20, recently concluded his second season with the Lakers. He held per-game averages of nine points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds, playing 20.1 minutes per contest. He also shot 46% from the floor and just 28% from behind the arc.
In addition to Horton-Tucker, the Lakers will see Dennis Schroder, Andre Drummond, Alex Caruso, Wesley Matthews, Markieff Morris, Jared Dudley and Ben McLemore enter free agency — they’ll all be unrestricted. Big man Montrezl Harrell holds a $9.72MM player option for next season.
The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Suns this spring — less than a year removed from winning their first title since 2010. The team dealt with numerous injuries this season, finishing with the seventh-best record in the West at 42-30.
THT is going to be a very tough decision for the Lakers. If a team goes crazy and offers him a very high amount will lakers let him go? it would be a big risk for that team since THT has not played under much pressure. If Harrell declines his option THT will stay a Laker.
Agent: Rich Paul?
Talen Horton-Tucker could get poison-pill offer sheet
This is his max contract.
As a restricted free agent with fewer than three years experience, Horton-Tucker will be limited by the Gilbert Arenas provision (as Tyler Johnson was in 2016). The projected worth of the largest offer sheet Horton-Tucker could sign:
2021-22: $9,535,740 (equal to non-taxpayer mid-level exception)
2022-23: $10,012,527 (105% of first-year salary)
2023-24: $30,913,905 (110% of a 2021-22 max salary for a player with fewer than seven years experience)
2024-25: $32,305,031 (104.5% of third-year salary)
Total: $82,767,203
Rich Paul needs to cut the Lakers some slack on THT, because of what Pelinka gave KCP last year.
Joking, kinda
I do not understand the obsession with this guy. He’s a solid defender, but a negative on offense with limited range. Is it just coz he is a laker he gets overhyped? Kinda like yankees prospects?
His style of play is nothing different than what Russ does or what d wade did. He can get buckets driving to the basket and with a decent mid range. There are some who make a living doing that not every has a great 3 point shot . I wouldn’t call him limited at all
He has games where he goes cold for sure, but usually it was because he was trying to do too much, as a lot of young players on the bench do to get playing time. But he has games where he absolutely balled out. For example, when he had 23 points – 10 assists in the Lakers third to last game.
I watched him many times since he is on my dynasty fantasy team and he has potential future star written all over him. He is just 20 y/o and can pass, rebound, has shown major potential with shot creation, and is of course a great defender. His 29% from 3 doesn’t back up his shooting ability honestly. He is also 6-4, 230 pounds as a SG.
I agree 100% dude is nothing special.
he’s trash. another overhyped laker, kuzma 2.0. lakers fans think hyping him up will net them Lillard
kings need to throw him an offer and reunite him with haliburton.
I would cash the chip for value via S&T if I could
Toronto wanted him trade deadline last year and we said No
Maybe getting Suggs changes things, but if Tor still has interest I think pretty much the best scenario they could reasonably do this year would be getting Lowry on a 2/50 S&T w THT+
As for his game, its a whole lot more 02′ than 22′ – His defense also regressed last year which was disappointing b/c I thought he might take a leap into a really really good defender – He NEEDS a better floater, outside 3 is good enough it should be closer to 35% than 29% going forward but he needs that floater….league adjusted to his game he hasn’t countered yet. Asking for a whole mid-range game is probably too much since its nonexistent presently but if he ever had all those things going yea he could really pop
Was THT worth keeping at the TD when LA could of possibly had Lowry or someond else? I’m glad LA didn’t win but when you have LBJ you need to do whatever it takes in a win now mode. LA had chances now every team should boycott not dealing with LA. Winning days are over until CP3 plays for the minimum and tries for championship like Karl Malone did
Probably not in hindsight and I agree you put all the chips in the middle now, future be damned, with our current roster/makeup
Problem with last year was THT made nothing just like Kuzma year before so it’s hard to match out salaries without giving a lot lot more (Probably KCP ) at that time … Also we wouldnt have had Lowrys bird rights and not enough theoretical cap 22 to make it more than a rental – In some ways a S&T in 2 weeks w Tor could probably double (or triple) Lowrys shelf life with the Lakers depending on what he signed ( I think 2/50 is fair)
But yea if they could go back knowing how diluted this playoffs would be and how fragile AD and LBJ would be come playoffs, yea I think they push harder to get something done at the 21 deadline