All of a sudden, the Los Angeles Lakers emerged as a potential dark horse to acquire Kyle Lowry. More than that, they effectively reached out to the Toronto Raptors to try and work out a deal that could send the former NBA Champion to the STAPLES Center.
Needless to say, Lowry’s asking price is quite steep, as he’s heavily sought-after right now. Regardless of his age, the Raptors just don’t want to let him go at a discount.
That’s why they were believed to demand Talen Horton-Tucker in any potential trade offer from the Lakers, but the Los Angeles Times recently reported that they feel like he’s out of the question right now:
The Los Angeles Lakers have refused to include Talen Horton-Tucker in trade talks for Raptors' Kyle Lowry.
(via @latimessports) pic.twitter.com/KQ9kSClhYd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2021
“In talking to now three NBA front-office executives, all of them said a resounding “No” about the Lakers including THT in any potential trade for Kyle Lowry. THT is liked that much by scouts. And the Lakers love his potential and upside. Yes, the Raptors would want a young talent like Horton-Tucker and yes the Lakers are hesitant,” Broderick Turner of LA Times reported.
The Lakers seem to be pretty high on their 20-year-old guard. Also, his age and Lowry’s can become a deal-breaker for the team’s front-office as well:
“Just heard from a fourth NBA front-office type that said he would not include Talen Horton-Tucker for a Kyle Lowry deal. All, among other things, cite the age. THT is 20 and Lowry is 35. Man, people really like THT,” Turner added later.
However, Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson said that the Raptors turned down an offer that included Dennis Schroeder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alonzo McKinnie, and the aforementioned Talen Horton-Tucker for Kyle Lowry, so maybe the Lakers backpedaled and wanted to land him at all costs:
* Schroder
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) March 25, 2021
This season, Talen Horton-Tucker is averaging just 8.0 points per game but he should see plenty of minutes going forward with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the sidelines. As for Lowry, it doesn’t seem like he’ll wear the purple and gold jersey any time soon.
