Trade deadline closing has become some of the major discussion topics to NBA fans, especially the Los Angeles Lakers. Having a Talen Horton-Tucker problem, the Lakers and head coach Frank Vogel are in distress as they are navigating through a 2021-2022 campaign in hopes of opening the opportunity to the perfect candidate that may lead the Lakers to a victorious championship as they did in 2020.
Trevor Lane, a senior writer and podcast host for Lakers Nation on YouTube spoke on February 1, “The Lakers, well- have a lot of problems this season, but they also have a THT problem.”
With many problems on the back of the Lakers, the ball is on their court. The Lakers need to make sure that the search for another player to join the team will not bring them down in flames. By far one of the most center-pieced teams in the NBA at the moment, the public knows that the team has not been having the most ideal campaign. With reported many injuries from the team, the Lakers are still shopping around.
Looking for valuable assets to add to their team, the search has not yielded any dropping dimes. Meanwhile, Los Angeles gold and purple army are expected to be one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
On the other hand, the team is now reportedly looking to move a package of three, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and a draft pick, however, no takers yet. On top of that, Los Angeles faces the troubling probability that the team won’t bring additional help aboard before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Westbrook in the mix
At this point, Russell Westbrook, the 33-year-old player, who was down in the dumps lately received a slap on the wrist when Vogel benched him for his poor performance. Though seemingly despised by everyone including fellow fans, Westbrook is still part of the Lakers as LA is doing everything it can to try and get rid of him.
“It’s obvious they’re trying to move Westbrook, which is damn-near impossible,” a league exec told press media. “They know that roster’s just not working.”
Given the way the benched player, Westbrook was performing recently, the Lakers wouldn’t mind having a returning player like Kyle Kuzma on the team. Trading Kuzma and more for Westbrook could represent an embodiment of how the Lakers have done business over the years. With the trade deadline just days away, the Lakers are charting the same course by shopping Talen Horton-Tucker, a third-year guard just 21 years of age.
Talen Horton-Tucker
For a team as old as the Lakers, Lakers have been known to have drafted, developed, and dumped young players before their prime time. This time, it involves Tucker, more known as THT, one of the few fresh players. While THT’s third pro season has been a mixed bag, the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging a career-high 9.5 points and 25.7 minutes a night, he is still just 21.
“That former Lakers core has three all-stars (Russell, Ingram, Randle), a likely 6MOY (Clarkson), and good role players across the league (Nance, Kuz, AC, Hart, Zo, Svi, Bryant, Moe),” said Anthony F. Irwin from his Twitter post.
“Would obviously have been cool to see them flourish here but watching them grow has been v cool.”
In a trade that involves Tucker this time, some believed that the purple and gold army could practice more patience on talented youngsters. Rather than taking careless decisions, the Lakers is believed that they should reconsider the swap when dealing with Tucker, ensuring they don’t make the same mistake.