NBA Rumors: Lakers May End Up Including Young Shooting Guard In Westbrook Deal

There was a time when Talen Horton-Tucker was viewed by most as a player who had a budding future--regardless if he stayed on with the Los Angeles Lakers or another team.

Unfortunately, the fortunes of the 21-year-old have changed.

He was the subject of several potential NBA trade deals in the past years, but nothing came to fruition.

With the Lakers 2021-22 campaign hardly getting anywhere, it seems that the plight of the 6-foot-4 guard also took a hit.

Since breaking out in the 2020-21 NBA preseason, "THT" has hardly shown signs of brilliance on the court.

Despite increased playing time, Horton-Tucker’s numbers are far from impressive, averaging only 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this season.

In a report from the Bleacher Report, an unnamed executive from the Western Conference alleged that trading for the 2019 second-round pick does not seem attractive.

However, the executive made it clear that it was not because of Horton-Tucker’s performance but because of something else.

“He may be great in four or five years, but he’s not right now,” the anonymous executive stated in the said report. “If we trade for him and he blows up, he’ll just opt out and hit free agency in 2023. We’d have no control over his contract.”

The Lakers signed Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal last offseason, and critics felt the young guard deserved it.

But given the Lakers’ situation and the fact that they need help fast, the Lakers may end up cleaning their roster--with Horton-Tucker included.

One name most expect to be moved is Russell Westbrook.

It remains to be seen which NBA team would be willing to take the 2017 NBA MVP in.

Los Angeles may have to sweeten the pot a little by adding some future picks.

If that fails to spur interest, there is a possibility that Horton-Tucker could be packaged along with Westbrook just to get the nine-time All-Star off the books of the Lakers starting next NBA season, USA Today reported.