Talen Horton-Tucker is headed back to Los Angeles. After spending the first two days of the NBA’s free agency period as a restricted free agent, Horton-Tucker and the Lakers were able to come to terms on a deal that prevented the promising young wing from signing an offer sheet with another team.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Horton-Tucker put pen to paper on a three-year deal that will keep him in L.A. for $32 million.
Restricted free agent Talen Horton-Tucker has agreed to a three-year, $32M deal to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agents @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul and Lucas Newton tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2021
As a restricted free agent, another franchise could have potentially put the Lakers in a precarious position by signing Horton-Tucker to a hefty deal and daring them to match. Instead, Los Angeles was able to keep the 20-year-old with the only team for which he’s played during his NBA tenure. He also gives the team someone who is familiar with their style of play, something that could help him compete for early minutes as a number of other players get used to life in L.A.
With the Lakers bringing in a handful of veteran players in free agency, Horton-Tucker gives them the added bonus of a youngster with room to grow. Last season, the former second-round pick averaged nine points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and a steal in 20.1 minutes per game.