Talen Horton-Tucker is one of two young players with upside on the Los Angeles Lakers after the Anthony Davis trade. That trade stripped the team of almost all of its youth but resulted in an NBA Championship, so it was definitely worth it.
Kyle Kuzma was the lone young piece that was left behind. Kuzma has improved this season for the Lakers but at the end of the day, we kind of already know who he is going to be in the league. He can absolutely improve, but at 25, he is not going to take that exponential leap that someone like Brandon Ingram did.
Then we have THT, who was drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. The Lakers did not have a second-round pick in the draft and traded a future pick just for the opportnity to draft THT. It is clear that the Lakers were high on him from the get-go.
And that is why the Los Angeles Lakers did not trade him at the trade deadline.
There was speculation, among other things, that the Lakers were in the mix for all-star point guard Kyle Lowry. Nothing came to fruition, in large part due to the team’s unwillingness to move THT.
You cannot blame the Lakers for not trading THT. He really does have a high ceiling as a two-way player and he not only could blossom into a great role player, but he could be future trade bait for a bigger trade down the line.
Let’s not forget that he is only 20 years old. He has another six years until he starts his prime and he is already a role player on a title contender.
However, there are two reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers might regret not trading THT. As a fan, I am happy to continue watching him on the Lakers and am excited about his future. But if the future goes a certain way we might be asking ‘what if?’ about that potential Lowry-THT trade.
Let’s break it down.