Talen Horton-Tucker
If we’re talking about players who fit the criteria of a very tradeable piece, Talen Horton-Tucker takes the cake. He’s the perfect player to trade. Firstly, his contract, as with Kelly Olynyk before him, he’s got a great deal if you’re another team looking to unload a massive contract. He’s paid over $10 million this year, and it’s in the last year of said deal after opting into his player option this season.
And while Jordan Clarkson’s deal makes Clarkson attractive to teams who are buying, Horton-Tucker’s contract makes him an asset to teams who are buying and selling. Unlike both Clarkson and Olynyk, Horton-Tucker isn’t in his early 30s. In fact, he’s a good decade younger than both men.
Horton-Tucker is only 22 years old and will be 23 to start the season. So while his contract makes him a player that teams will want to sell off a bad contract for, his age makes him a player teams will want to pay up for. Horton-Tucker could fetch the Jazz a second-round pick or two, or three.
The only issue that you run into with Horton-Tucker is the same reason why the Jazz is likely to trade him in the first place; he’s extremely bad at scoring efficiently. He’s shot under .419 over the last two seasons, and can’t hit 30% from three to save his life.
He’s not a great asset but someone may think they can turn him into a reliable player and offer up some picks. Or he can be paired with Olynyk in a deal that helps a team move off salary from a high priced player.