Tucker is a post-00s young double guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, who has been known for his slightly explosive offense and defense in the past, but Tucker's nerve knife performance has been repeatedly criticized this season. Now, according to US media reports, league executives believe that Tucker may get better in the next four or five years, but at present he basically does not have much deal value, and even is praised as a "bad contract" player.
While Tucker has some untapped potential, most people will agree that Tucker is still an inexperienced player and a young player who is still young. Ahead of this season's deal deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are particularly keen to include Tucker in the deal talks. Apparently, the young defender's deal didn't materialize in the end. It is worth noting that there are reports that Tucker's transaction value is very low, and some even see him as a "bad contract".
Alliance executive insiders said Tucker and the mixed-round 2027 first-round picks could appear at the negotiating table before the deadline, but it was clear that the Lakers were reluctant to make the 2027 first-round pick and failed to reach any deal. Interest in Tucker from other teams is reported to be low, with an experienced league source even saying the 21-year-old is a "bad contract" player. Tucker will be paid $10.3 million next season, and he has $11 million in player options for the 2023-24 season. Trying to use Tucker to get players like Grant, from the Detroit Pistons to the Lakers, won't work.
A recent report by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report showed league executives commenting on some of Tucker's concerns about trading Tucker. Before the trade deadline, Tucker's trading market was "not so impressive." To complicate matters further, Tucker's deal includes player options for the 2023-24 season. The Lakers foregoed a chance to trade him (with Pope and Schroder) to the Toronto Raptors before the 2020 deadline in exchange for Lowry.
"He's probably going to be great in the next four or five years, but he's clearly not now," said one Western Conference executive. 'If we trade him and he explodes, he'll opt out of the player option for the 2023-23 season and become a free agent in 2023 and we can't control his contract.
After this explanation, it makes sense why other teams would not trade to get Tucker, he is an unproven player, which is certainly a risk due to the circumstances of his contract.
So far, the best option for the Los Angeles Lakers may be to see if Tucker can improve in the future. If Tucker can indeed get better, the Lakers could keep him or send him off with the right deal.