After losing to the Portland Trail Blazers 107-105 on Wednesday in uninspiring fashion, there is added pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers to make a move just hours before the trading deadline.
Reportedly, there have been some talks between L.A. and the Toronto Raptors regarding a potential deal involving Talen Horton-Tucker.
Toronto appeared quite active in trade conversations Wednesday night. Various Goran Dragic scenarios. Bigs. Lakers and Raptors have discussed Talen Horton-Tucker, sources said, but any notion that deal is serious has been miscategorized by @TheSteinLine and my listeners.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 10, 2022
Horton-Tucker was a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. After barely playing in his rookie season, he entered the Lakers’ rotation last year and showed some real potential along with the ability to get to the rim and finish.
This season, however, after being rewarded with a new contract, he has failed to show any real improvement.
On Wednesday night, he turned in a strong performance with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point land to go along with seven assists.
But his lack of measurable improvement this season has led to a lack of interest in him as a trade asset, with one league source even calling him a “bad contract.”
Many of the trade rumors surrounding the Lakers have centered around Russell Westbrook, who has widely been viewed as a disappointment, even by people inside the Lakers organization.
Trading him and getting any real value in return will be hard, given his huge contract and the appearance that his game and effectiveness have declined.
The Lakers are now 26-30 on the season, and whether they will even reach the play-in tournament is in question at this point.
