Mavs Planning 'Hefty Offer' For Lakers 'Breakout' Youngster?

The Dallas Mavericks might be among the teams to pursue Los Angeles Lakers 'breakout sensation' Talen Horton-Tucker during the 2021 NBA offseason

DALLAS - When it comes to Dallas Mavericks' 2021 offseason talent acquisition, most of us naturally tend to focus on the biggest of names. (Dangit, Giannis!) But the assemblage of a roster takes multiple sorts of pieces at multiple levels ...

And Los Angeles Lakers' 20-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker is working his way toward one of those levels ... and is on the summer-of-2021 Mavs radar.

According to a report from our pal Sean Deveney, Horton-Tucker could receive a "very hefty" offer that would be difficult for the Lakers to match. The Lakers have all sorts of contractual advantages here, as explained by Eric Pincus ...

I put together a 14-minute video looking at Talen-Horton Tucker of the Los Angeles Lakers asking - what if he BLOWS UP?!? - do the Los Angeles Lakers have an issue keeping him and what does Gilbert Arenas have to do with it?https://t.co/b2qPC2bXmd

— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) January 9, 2021

But there are ways for suitors to pursue the young restricted free agent during the 2021 offseason.

"The way the rules are, I don't see the Lakers letting him go," an NBA general manager told Deveney. "But teams can make this a more difficult decision for the Lakers than they'd like. Teams that have a lot of cap space and are looking to gamble on a young guy, why not put your money into him? The upside is obvious."

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Horton-Tucker, a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft, made just six appearances for the Lakers during his rookie season while spending most of his time with the team's G League affiliate.

But the shooting guard out of Iowa State impressed during this preseason - even LeBron James raved about him - and now he's a rotational guy for the defending champs, playing 17 minutes per game while averaging 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the field across 10 appearances off the bench this season. He's playing 16.9 minutes per game.

He's got a big frame at 6-4, plus a 7-1 wingspan ... and a wealth of potential. And quite possibly, come next summer, Talen Horton-Tucker will have a wealth of suitors, including the Mavs. 

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