Lakers Trade Rumors: Josh Richardson Talks Held, Talen Horton-Tucker Offered by LA

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly continue shopping guard Talen Horton-Tucker ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline without much luck.

Brian Robb of MassLive reported the Lakers have offered Horton-Tucker and a draft pick to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Josh Richardson, who has become a popular target for contending teams.

It's no secret the Lakers have been trying to package Horton-Tucker and the contract of Kendrick Nunn to teams for several weeks in an attempt to turn their season around. Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic reported the Lakers have found tepid-at-best interest in such a package, and it's become increasingly likely the team stands pat at the deadline.

The Lakers' inability to find a taker speaks to the cratering of Horton-Tucker's value around the league. The Arizona State product is averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting a ghastly 25.0 percent from three-point range. His failure to develop into a steady two-way playmaker on the wing exemplies an offseason full of poor decision making from the Lakers front office, which allowed Alex Caruso to sign with the Chicago Bulls in favor of Horton-Tucker.

While he's far from the biggest issue—that would be the oil-water on-court mix of Russell Westbrook and LeBron James—Horton-Tucker represents the team's best chance at getting better at the deadline.

If he's not generating enough enthusiasm to land Richardson, a fine but decidedly mid-level rotation player, it's going to be a quiet deadline in Los Angeles.