Before the Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker to the Jazz in the Patrick Beverley deal, the Pacers expressed interest in the 21-year-old wing, Michael Scotto said in the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast.
As Scotto explains, the Pacers were interested in pursuing a deal that sent Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, and Daniel Theis to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and Los Angeles’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. However, L.A. has been reluctant to include both of those first-rounders in any deal not involving Kyrie Irving, and was not particularly enthusiastic about swapping Horton-Tucker for Theis.
Although Horton-Tucker is off the table, Indiana remain one of the two most likely landing spots for Westbrook, according to Buha, who says a deal involving the Pacers and Westbrook could involve just one of Hield or Turner — the Pacers still have $30M+ in cap room and could take on Westbrook’s $47M+ expiring contract without sending out both players. Still, Buha believes that Utah is a more viable destination for Westbrook than Indiana.
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