The Los Angeles Lakers have made a lot of mistakes since winning the NBA championship in 2020, with their decision to let Alex Caruso walk in free agency in 2021 being one of the more notable ones. It was a huge mistake and after Caruso got a four-year, $81 million extension from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, that decision looks even worse.
The Lakers are crying out for an elite defensive guard right now and they let go one they had within their ranks. Caruso had gone undrafted in 2016 and was picked up by the Lakers a year later. He didn’t feature much in his first couple of seasons with the franchise but eventually established himself as an important role player.
Caruso would end up playing a key role for the Lakers as they won that title in 2020 but when it came time to pay him a year later, they weren’t willing to loosen the purse strings. According to The Athletic’s Bill Oram, the front office offered the guard a three-year, $21 million deal when free agency began in 2021.
Caruso and his agent Greg Lawrence felt he was worth more and they were right. Teams were willing to fork out a lot more for him, with the Chicago Bulls offering a four-year, $37 million deal. Caruso had Lawrence check if the Lakers were willing to match it, but they weren’t.
That would have been disappointing to Caruso but he still hadn’t given up hope. He indicated to Lawrence that he’d be willing to accept a two-year, $20 million deal from them but once again, they weren’t interested. The Lakers only wanted to give him that $7 million-a-year deal and weren’t budging.
So, having failed multiple times to agree on a deal with the Lakers, Caruso decided he would take the Bulls’ offer. Not long after, he got some news that would have only upset him further.
The Lakers re-signed Talen Horton-Tucker to a three-year, $32 million deal after it became clear that Caruso wasn’t coming back. They were sold on Horton-Tucker’s upside and were willing to pay him more than they were to a more established player in Caruso. To say that was a mistake might be an understatement.
Horton-Tucker hasn’t managed to establish himself as even a starter in the NBA, let alone become a star. He is now on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls, which tells you all you need to know.
Caruso, meanwhile, established himself as one of the premier defensive guards in the NBA during his time with the Bulls. He made the All-Defensive First Team in 2023 and then the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024.
With the Bulls entering a rebuild in 2024-25, Caruso was a man in demand and the Thunder managed to acquire him for Josh Giddey. It’s safe to say they aren’t regretting that decision considering the deal they gave him.
Caruso is averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Thunder this season. The 30-year-old has struggled a bit offensively but has been incredible on defense. He is a big reason why the Thunder have a defensive rating of 103.0, the best in the NBA.
As for the Lakers, they have a defensive rating of 114.3, which ranks 20th. While Caruso wouldn’t have turned them into a defensive juggernaut, they certainly would have been a lot better if he was still on the team.
Caruso would also probably be the third or fourth-best player for the Lakers right now and it’s incredible, in a very bad way, that they just let him go. The front office made a huge blunder by lowballing him and they’re now desperately trying to figure out a way to acquire someone just like him.
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