Fansided

1 contract every NBA team would want back

By Ian Levy

Mar 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) flexes after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) flexes after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 7, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Los Angeles Lakers: Talen Horton-Tucker

At one point, Talen Horton-Tucker looked like one of the indispensable pieces of the Lakers’ future, a talented young guard who had LeBron’s favor and was protected through multiple round of trade discussions as they looked to acquire another star. In 2021, they signed him to a three-year, $30 million deal fresh off a season in which he averaged 9.0 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in just over 20 minutes per game.

In the first year of that deal, his shooting percentages absolutely cratered and it was increasingly clear there was no room for him in a rotation starved for shooting and secondary creation (he had made 27.6 percent of his 3s through his first three seasons at that point).

The Lakers didn’t do anything to really recoup value from his deal — trading him to the Jazz at the end of that season for Patrick Beverley, who was himself a disaster and traded for Mo Bamba, who was himself a disaster and eventually released.

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