Report: Lakers could have issue retaining Alex Caruso this offseason due to his perceived market value

The Los Angeles Lakers hold a gem in guard Alex Caruso.

However, it appears the Lakers will have competition for Caruso when he becomes a free agent this summer.

“The 2021 free-agent market has been stripped of many of the biggest names, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, Rudy Gobert and [LeBron] James elected to sign extensions to stay with their current teams,” wrote Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “But there still could be 10 teams with $20 million or more in cap space and another handful with more than $10 million.

“That means the Lakers could have competition to keep their role players. As an athletic guard who can defend, unrestricted free agent Caruso will have suitors. League executives think he could draw interest at the full midlevel exception range, which is $9.5 million next season. (Caruso currently earns $2.7 million.)”

Caruso, 27, has played for the Lakers since the 2017-18 season.

In recent years, he’s become a fan favorite in Los Angeles. As a matter of fact, he landed a good number of All-Star votes in the Western Conference guard position earlier this year.

The veteran is adored by his teammates because he does a little bit of everything. He is known for his hustle and penchant to do the dirty work on the court.

On the season, Caruso is averaging 5.8 points, 2.6 boards and 2.4 rebounds per contest. He’s played in 28 games for the Lakers.

The Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday evening.