Los Angeles Lakers sophomore guard Talen Horton-Tucker continues to impress with increased usage, and some insiders believe he could get “poison-pill contract.”
Horton-Tucker will be a restricted free agent this summer, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on the latest edition of the Hoop Collective teams might push the Lakers to make a decision that could severely limit cap flexibility.
Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk outlined some of the details with respect to a poison-pill offer:
To sign Horton-Tucker to this offer sheet, a team must have enough 2021 cap space to fit the contract’s average salary. If the offer sheet goes unmatched, Horton-Tucker would count against the cap at his average salary each season of the deal ($20,691,801 in the above scenario).
If the Lakers match, they could theoretically decide whether to count Horton-Tucker against the cap at his actual salary each season or his average salary all four seasons. However, only teams under the cap when matching can use average salaries. The Lakers will almost certainly be above the cap.
So, that’d be a bitter pill to swallow in the third and fourth seasons of a Horton-Tucker deal.
In essence, the Lakers–a team that figures to be above the cap–could end up paying Horton-Tucker over $63 million against the cap in the final two years of the largest deal he could sign under the Gilbert Arenas provision.
Horton-Tucker played in just six games last season, but he has appeared in 20 games so far, averaging 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
The 20-year-old has been very impressive on the defensive end, using his length and bulk to pester opposing guards and get steals. Horton-Tucker can also get to the basket and finish through contact, though he has been a bit inconsistent from beyond the arc.
There is still plenty of season left, and teams will be interested to see how Horton-Tucker's role evolves in L.A. But there could be some motivation to try to force the Lakers' hand later this summer.
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