Should The Los Angeles Lakers Bring Back 2020 NBA Champion?

Talen Horton-Tucker is still a free agent.

Oct 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) holds up four fingers after winning his fourth NBA championship after game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Talen Horton-Tucker is coming off a year where he appeared in 51 games for the Utah Jazz.

The former Iowa State star finished the year with averages of 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest while shooting 39.6% from the field and 33.0% from the three-point range.

This summer, Horton-Tucker became a free agent who was available to sign with any team in the league.

On August 12, he still remains available.

Mar 15, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) brings the ball up the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

This late into free agency, Horton-Tucker could likely be signed for a veteran's minimum (or training camp) deal.

The 23-year-old spent the first three seasons of his career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was with the team when they won the 2020 NBA Championship over the Miami Heat.

Let's check in on THT 👀 pic.twitter.com/0tPm0M3v2U

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 21, 2021

The Lakers have a talented roster that features LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.

That said, they are coming off a season where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

They will need to make more moves before the 2025 postseason in order to compete for a title.

Jan 7, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) moves the ball up court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Horton-Tucker could be a good option for the team due to his experience with the franchise (and scoring ability off the bench).

He is still several years away from his prime, so there is also reason to believe that the NBA Champion could continue to get better over the next few seasons.

His career averages are 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest while shooting 42.3% from the field and 29.3% from the three-point range in 247 games.