Insider Reveals Contract Emerging Lakers Star Could Get in Offseason

Talen Horton-Tucker was brilliant in his early beginnings with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is just 20. Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka signed Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, and Montrezl Harrell. NBA experts didn’t really say much about Horton-Tucker’s minutes on the floor. It looks like there’s a big contract for the emerging Lakers star.

Los Angeles has to think of Horton-Tucker’s situation. Brian Windhorst from ESPN believes that LA can make a nice offer.

“People think that he can get the Tyler Johnson poison-pill contract,” he said on The Hoop Collective podcast.

In 2016, Johnson was a restricted free agent for the Brooklyn Nets. He inked a four-year deal worth $50 million. Miami matched the offer and Johnson joined the Heats roster. Johnson’s contract was backloaded and Miami gave him less than $6 million in his first two years. He was traded right after that.

A good contract option for the emerging Lakers guard

Lakers big man Anthony Davis has nothing but great words for the young guard.

“A lot of credit goes to him,” he said after the win over the Denver Nuggets. “He came in doing good things defensively. Scoring the basketball, making the right plays. We trust him. I know he’s young, but he wants to be in the game when it is crunch time. We can throw him in a game at any point and he’s going to make plays for us.

“He’s a young player that wants to learn, who wants to get better and I think the only way you can do that is with experience and he is not afraid of anyone.

“Heart of a lion. He was on a championship team last year, so he knows what it takes and I think it was good for him just to be around even though he didn’t get much playing time last year, but just being around it and being around all the veterans and all the guys. He knows what we expect from him and he comes and brings it every single night.”

Horton-Tucker won’t see too much time on the floor. He doesn’t get the playtime he deserves. Truth is, needy teams can offer him big money and solve the problem with ease.