Horton-Tucker Heads to Chicago Bulls Training Camp on Exhibit 10 Deal

Talen Horton-Tucker is returning to his hometown of Chicago, but likely to the Windy City Bulls and not the big club.

Horton-Tucker agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with Chicago, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic And confirmed by KC Johnson of NBC Sports ChicagoAn Exibit 10 contract means the player will be invited to a training camp and, if he does not make the main roster, he can receive a bonus of up to $77,500 towards a contract with the club’s G-League team, in this case the Windy City Bulls.

The Bulls have 14 guaranteed contracts on the books — plus a partially guaranteed deal with Onuralp Bitim — leaving one open roster spot for training camp and the season. However, the club is not expected to fill that spot, both in a bid to save money and provide flexibility on the roster. The Bulls also have one open two-way contract that Horton-Tucker and Kenneth Lofton Jr. will compete for.

Horton-Tucker attended Simeon Career Academy, a high school on Chicago’s South Side, before attending college at Iowa State. The explosive 6’4” guard was a second-round pick of the Magic who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019. THT became part of Lakers lore when, after spending big to sign Russell Westbrook in 2021, the club had to choose between re-signing Alex Caruso or Horton-Tucker, and they went with Horton-Tucker’s youth and potential. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was so enthusiastic about THT that he was the front-runner in negotiations with Toronto for Kyle Lowry in 2021 — the Lakers declined to include him in the deal. A year later, Horton-Tucker’s value had sunk enough that he was traded to Utah as part of a package to land Patrick Beverley.

Horton-Tucker’s athleticism is not in question — Bulls fans can expect some eye-popping plays during training camp and the preseason — but his decision-making, particularly his shot selection, has fans and coaches alike rolling their eyes. Last season at Utah, Horton-Tucker began the season as the team’s starting point guard, but lasted just eight games before Will Hardy pulled the plug. THT averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists in the 51 games he played but shot less than 40 percent from the field — he had a meager 50.3 true shooting percentage — and his decision-making with the ball often kept him benched.

Maybe it’s different back home in Chicago.