Lakers Trade Rumors: Buddy Hield Pursued in Talen Horton-Tucker Talks with Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly came close to trading for Buddy Hield in the offseason only to instead move on a package for point guard Russell Westbrook, but they may be barking up that tree again ahead of the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline. 

Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported on his Posted Up podcast (28:40 mark): "League sources have told me the Lakers have reached out to the Kings about a Talen Horton-Tucker package for Hield. Still trying to make that happen. Obviously the Kings are like, 'No. We feel like there's more lucrative deals out there.' The Kings are going to be active. They've got a whole bunch of people calling them."

The perimeter shooting of Hield would be a great fit on a Lakers team that needs more floor-spacing around the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The 29-year-old Hield isn't having his best season, averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three. His points are his lowest mark since the 2017-18 season, his field-goal percentage is the lowest mark of his career, and his three-point percentage is his lowest mark since his rookie year in 2016-17.

But he'd be a nice fit with the Lakers. 

The question is whether Horton-Tucker would get the Lakers anywhere close to Hield as the headliner in a deal or whether any other team sees him as a viable target in trade talks. 

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor wrote earlier in the week that the Lakers were "calling teams offering a future first, Kendrick Nunn, and Horton-Tucker, who has underwhelmed this season, and no one is biting yet."

NBA writer Marc Stein previously reported that the Lakers offered that package for Detroit's Jerami Grant and were turned away.

Horton-Tucker, 21, is averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, though he's shooting 40.7 percent from the field and a woeful 24.8 percent from three. Despite the potential the Lakers have long touted when it comes to THT, it appears teams around the NBA—at least until this point—aren't terribly interested in giving up quality players to acquire him.