Lakers shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker is off to a breakout start in his second NBA season and multiple teams are already planning an offseason pursuit, according to veteran insider Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
Horton-Tucker, 20, will be a free agent in the summer.
Among the teams expected to show interest, per Deveney — the Cavaliers, Knicks and Mavericks.
Granted, Horton-Tucker is represented by agent Rich Paul, whose list of clients also includes Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. So the Lakers aren’t about to let Horton-Tucker walk away easily.
“The way the rules are, I don’t see the Lakers letting him go,” an NBA general manager told Deveney. “But teams can make this a more difficult decision for the Lakers than they’d like. Teams that have a lot of cap space and are looking to gamble on a young guy, why not put your money into him? The upside is obvious.”
Along with that, Deveney noted, the Lakers can Horton-Tucker more than anyone else, with a contract starting around $10.5 million. Opposing teams would only be able to start a deal at about $9 million. The Lakers could also match any offer.
Horton-Tucker is averaging 8.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10 games this season. He scored 21 points in 17 minutes in Sunday’s win over the Rockets.
