The Los Angeles Lakers had three ball-handling guards entering the free-agent market in the offseason: Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker.
It was unlikely all three would return because of the Lakers’ financial limitations, which was quickly known when L.A. opted not to bring back Alex Caruso at the price the Chicago Bulls paid.
L.A. had offered Schroder a four-year extension in the $80 million range after trading Danny Green and a 2020 first-round pick for him, but Schroder’s value plummeted after a disappointing playoff outing; he later signed with the Boston Celtics on a one-year deal worth $5.9 million.
That left only Horton-Tucker as a possible player to return. The 20-year-old combo guard emerged onto the scenes after a promising sophomore campaign, transforming into a talent the Lakers couldn’t afford to lose.
Los Angeles inked Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth over $30 million. Here are the terms of the deal, via Keith Smith of Spotrac:
Talen Horton Tucker's new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the few non-minimum deals LA signed this offseason:
21-22: $9,500,000
22-23: $10,260,000
23-24: $11,020,000Final season is a player option. No trade bonus in the deal.@spotrac
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 8, 2021
The player option is the biggest note. If Horton-Tucker blossoms into the player L.A. hopes he can be, then he could opt out and re-sign for a bigger payday.
If Horton-Tucker improves his 3-point shooting and overall defense, which he acknowledged are areas to grow, then he’d be worth well over $11 million.
