Los Angeles Lakers: 4 impending free agents likeliest to return next season

The Los Angeles Lakers will keep Talen Horton-Tucker in free agency

Talen Horton-Tucker and the Los Angeles Lakers certainly caused some controversy ahead of the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline.

With Los Angeles reportedly having been in hot pursuit of six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors, everyone was waiting for them to pull the trigger and land the guard. Lowry would have pushed the Lakers over the edge as title favorites at full strength, but Horton-Tucker proved to be the ultimate roadblock in the deal. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Bill Oram (subscription required), the Lakers were unwilling to include the 20-year-old in any deal, which proved questionable from an outside perspective.

After not making that deal, it appears certain that the Lakers will aim to keep the impending restricted free agent around for the foreseeable future. While his value on the open market remains unclear at this point, Los Angeles has the opportunity to match any offer extended in his direction. However much that deal ends up becoming, it is clear that he will continue to play a key role in head coach Frank Vogel’s rotation.

In his sophomore season this past year, THT averaged 9.0 points on .458/.282/.775 shooting splits, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. The youngster has flashed potential every so often throughout his first two seasons, and it seems that LA is confident enough that he will develop into something special, as evidenced by their unwillingness to include him in the top-heavy trade for Kyle Lowry.