‘Raw’ 23-Year-Old NBA Champion Floated as Heat Target

Though he won a title at a young age, Talen Horton-Tucker has some raw talent that could attract the Miami Heat. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey explained how Horton-Tucker has enough raw talent to intrigue a suitor.

“There are still real concerns with his jump shot, but Talen Horton-Tucker is only 23 years old, typically puts up raw numbers whenever given the chance, and has good size (6’4″ with a 7’1″ wingspan) for a primary playmaker,” Bailey wrote in a July 11 story. “During his two seasons with the Utah Jazz, THT has averaged 10.5 points, 3.6 assists and 1.0 threes in just 20.0 minutes.”

Because he’s not a finished project, Bailey believes Miami could be the best destination for him.

“If there’s a team that could develop his raw talent into something more consistent, it may be the Miami Heat.”

The Heat have been responsible for multiple players panning out better than they could have expected. Players like Caleb Martin, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent came along quite well in Miami. The Heat could have Horton-Tucker for cheap, and he might be their next success story.

He won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, though they did not feature him in their playoff rotation.

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Talen Horton-Tucker Called 13th-Best Free Agent Remaining

Horton-Tucker remains a free agent, which sounds concerning knowing how long free agency has lasted. HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon explained in a July 11 story why they believe he is the 13th-best free agent available.

“(He’s) still young despite it feeling like forever ago when he was breaking out with the Lakers. (He’s) starting to show some promise as a combo guard scoring type with midrange scoring skills.”

Horton-Tucker’s youth makes him more appealing because it’s possible that he’s not a finished product yet. While they had him ranked No. 13, Bailey had him ranked No. 6. It’s likely that a team will add him, but probably not at the rate that the Jazz paid him—$22 million over two years.

The Heat lost Martin one offseason after they lost Strus and Vincent. They haven’t exactly replaced them with anyone who could be useful. Horton-Tucker played for a Jazz team that had no long-term use for him over the last two seasons. He could redeem his value if the Heat unlock his potential.

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Heat Called Offseason Loser

Bailey explained in a July 10 story why he saw the Heat as offseason losers.

“The Miami Heat, who’ve represented the East in the Finals in two of the five years Jimmy Butler has been there, mostly stood still,” Bailey wrote. “While the development of Jaime Jaquez Jr. might ultimately make the loss (of Martin) negligible (Jaquez had more wins over replacement player last season), losing talent for nothing is far from ideal.”

Bailey detailed the sticky situation with Jimmy Butler and where Miami stands with their title chances.

“Add to that the fact that Jimmy Butler will be playing out what could be the final year of his contract without a forthcoming extension, and it’s easy to be nervous about this team splintering.

“Both of its recent Finals runs were unexpected, so Miami may surprise us again, but it doesn’t feel like the Heat are in the contenders’ tier after this offseason.”

Horton-Tucker wouldn’t vault the Heat up, but he could help fortify the Heat’s foundation.

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