Los Angeles Lakers

No other team needs to target Talen Horton-Tucker more this offseason than the Los Angeles Lakers. They are in “championship mode” and looking to use their cap space/finances on players that can help them win championships, but they also need to be able to keep their “homegrown,” young talents. 

They did so by giving Kyle Kuzma a contract-extension and they need to do the same with Horton-Tucker in the offseason since he is set to become a restricted free agent. This team is obviously thinning short-term championship wise, but success wise, they need to be thinking long-term when it comes to THT. 

He is a great, young talent that is only going to get better, which is why they need to keep him at an affordable $5M-$6M contract over the next two to three seasons. He has earned a pay raise given what he has done for them this season off-the-bench and will likely want to stay in Los Angeles, which is why they can work out an agreement on a deal that benefits both sides. 

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The Lakers are going to be busy once again in NBA free agency with Dennis Schroder set to become a free agent and the possibility of Montrezl Harrell opting out of his contract, but they need to hammer out a deal with THT quickly before he becomes just a thought for them. 

Getting his deal done first and keeping him on their roster is important not just youth wise, but because of the impact he has on this team off-the-bench. He is only going to get better and with him being able to learn from LeBron James, Anthony Davis and some of the other high-level players on this roster, he could absolutely be a long-term option for the Lakers to find success when James is ready to retire.