Basketball is funny. One day you're the 19-year-old "secret weapon" on a championship team, and the next, people are using your name as a cautionary tale for front-office mismanagement.
If you followed the Purple and Gold between 2019 and 2022, you know exactly who I’m talking about. Talen Horton-Tucker—or just THT—was the guy. He was the prospect the Los Angeles Lakers refused to trade for Kyle Lowry. He was the reason Alex Caruso, a certified fan favorite and defensive savant, was allowed to walk for nothing.
It felt like a sure bet at the time. Or at least, the Lakers' front office tried to convince us it was.
The Mystery of the 7-Foot-1 Wingspan
THT was a weird prospect. Honestly, that’s why people loved him. He was 6-foot-4 but had the wingspan of a center. Imagine a bowling ball with the arms of an albatross. That was the Talen Horton-Tucker Lakers experience in a nutshell.
Drafted 46th overall in 2019, he wasn't supposed to be a cornerstone. But then the 2020 NBA Bubble happened. In a Game 5 blowout against the Rockets, Frank Vogel threw the rookie into the fire. He didn't just survive; he looked like he belonged. He was 19, snatching steals and finishing with a soft touch around the rim that most vets would envy.
He became the second-youngest player in NBA history to win a ring. Expectations exploded.
By the 2020-21 preseason, the hype was reaching "Linsanity" levels of irrationality. He dropped 33 points against the Clippers in a December exhibition game, and suddenly, the league was on notice. LeBron James was calling him "special." The media was calling him the Lakers’ third star.
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The Trade That Didn’t Happen
We have to talk about the 2021 trade deadline. It’s the moment that still haunts Lakers Twitter.
The Raptors were ready to move Kyle Lowry. The deal was reportedly on the table: Dennis Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Talen Horton-Tucker. Rob Pelinka said no. He wouldn't include the 20-year-old.
The Lakers bet on the future. They chose a "maybe" over a proven champion who probably could have helped LeBron and AD squeeze out one more title run before the window slammed shut.
Then came the summer of 2021. The Lakers had a choice. They could pay Alex Caruso, the "Bald Eagle" who had a +1000 chemistry rating with LeBron, or they could invest $32 million into THT. They chose the latter.
It was a disaster.
Not because THT was a bad player, but because he was a specific player. He needed the ball. He was a "slasher" who couldn't really shoot—career 27% from deep during his time in LA. When you play next to LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, you can't be a non-shooter who needs the ball. The fit was clunky. It was awkward. It was, frankly, hard to watch.
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Why the Hype Vanished
The problem wasn't just the shooting. It was the "archetype" problem THT recently mentioned in interviews.
Basically, he’s a big-bodied guard (around 234 lbs) who doesn't look like your typical twitchy NBA athlete. Scouts and fans started questioning his conditioning. Was he out of shape, or just built like a linebacker? In LA, if you aren't producing, people stop giving you the benefit of the doubt.
His stats with the Lakers weren't terrible—9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists over 131 games—but they weren't "future star" numbers. He had flashes, like that 40-point explosion against the Warriors in 2022, but the consistency was never there.
Eventually, the Lakers admitted defeat. In August 2022, they shipped him and Stanley Johnson to the Utah Jazz for Patrick Beverley. It was a "win-now" move that felt more like a "please-just-get-this-off-our-books" move.
Where is Talen Horton-Tucker now?
If you've been looking for him on NBA League Pass lately, you won't find him.
After two seasons in Utah and a short, underwhelming stint with his hometown Chicago Bulls in 2024-25 (averaging just 6.5 points), THT took a massive leap. Not a leap forward in the NBA, but a leap across the ocean.
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In September 2025, he signed with Fenerbahçe Beko in Turkey.
It’s a wild arc. At 25 years old—an age when most players are entering their prime—the guy the Lakers wouldn't trade for a Hall of Famer is playing in the EuroLeague.
He’s actually doing well there. As of early 2026, he’s averaging double digits and using that massive frame to bully European guards. He’s proving he can play; he just might not be the "NBA star" the Lakers front office hallucinated back in 2020.
The Reality Check
The Talen Horton-Tucker Lakers saga is a masterclass in the dangers of "potential."
LA fell in love with a physical profile and a few preseason highlights. They ignored the fact that his skill set—dribble-heavy, low-efficiency scoring—was the exact opposite of what a LeBron-led team needs.
So, what can we actually learn from this?
- Fit > Talent: A "better" player on paper (THT's ceiling) is useless if they don't complement your stars (Caruso's floor).
- Don't overvalue the "Mystery Box": The Lakers treated THT like he was a future All-Star because he was young and long. They traded a known quantity (Lowry/Caruso) for a guess.
- The "Lakers Tax": Playing in LA magnifies everything. If THT had started in Charlotte or Indiana, he might have developed into a solid 6th man without the crushing weight of being "the guy we kept instead of Caruso."
If you’re still holding THT stock, keep an eye on those Fenerbahçe box scores. He still has that 21-day NBA opt-out window in his contract, but for now, he's a cautionary tale of what happens when a front office falls in love with a wingspan instead of a jump shot.
Keep your expectations grounded. Next time the Lakers hype up a second-round pick as the next big thing, maybe wait until they actually hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter before you cancel any trades for veterans.