Ex-Lakers champion signs with Eastern Conference team

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

One NBA player is following the lead of Lonzo Ball by going to the Chicago Bulls after starting off with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Bulls have agreed to a partially-guaranteed deal with free agent wing Talen Horton-Tucker. The Chicago native Horton-Tucker will now get a chance to make the team’s roster in training camp, Charania adds.

Horton-Tucker began his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and was expected to become a long-term building block for them after cracking their rotation within his first couple seasons (including in 2020 when the Lakers won it all). But Horton-Tucker lasted just three total seasons in LA before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2022 as part of the Patrick Beverley deal.

Still only 23, Horton-Tucker’s development has plateaued a bit. But he did average 10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game over the last two seasons in Utah (playing some point guard in addition to his usual shooting guard role). While Horton-Tucker can struggle with both shot selection and turnovers, he has impressive length and burst, which the Bulls could use in their newly-revamped backcourt.