Why Lakers didn't keep Alex Caruso even as one of LeBron James' favorite teammates
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Why Lakers didn't keep Alex Caruso even as one of LeBron James' favorite teammates originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It's that time of year again -- time to wonder why the Los Angeles Lakers let Alex Caruso get away.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder sure aren't complaining. Caruso is a crucial part of what the defending NBA champions do night in and night out.
But it's still all a bit shocking. The Lakers had Caruso. He was one of LeBron James' favorite teammates. He did all the little things that help a team win.
Instead of building a longer-term future with Caruso, though, they chose to go in a different direction.
They might still be sitting at home right now even if they had Caruso, but it certainly doesn't help anyone feel better to watch him perform so well for OKC.
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Why didn't the Lakers keep Alex Caruso?
The Lakers decided after the 2020-21 season that they didn't want to pay Caruso.
Instead, they let him walk in free agency, and the Chicago Bulls signed him.
It was the Bulls who eventually traded Caruso to the Thunder
That offseason, the Lakers preferred to keep Talen Horton-Tucker, who at the time felt like an intriguing wing talent but never developed any further.
Maybe it made sense at the time. It looks awful in retrospect.
Caruso's on-off numbers were always great, particularly with James on the floor. He clearly was a key piece for the Lakers before being discarded.
Potentially the saddest part for Lakers fans about Caruso's departure is comments Caruso made in 2024 to Fox Sports.
"We've been through a lot together," Caruso said at the time about LeBron James and Austin Reaves. "Always good seeing them. Every now and then, you think about what could've been."
The Lakers are definitely thinking about that right about now.
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