- Report: Lakers expected to be in the mix for Blake Griffin
- LeBron James offers ecstatic reaction to David Fizdale leaving Lakers for front office position on Jazz
- Chris Broussard questions John Wall’s decision to sign with the Clippers: ‘I think he would’ve been better off going to the Lakers’
- Report: Lakers coaching staff and front office want to see it work with Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles
- Report: Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will exercise his option for the 2022-23 season
- Report: High-ranking people believe Kyrie Irving joining the Lakers could still be on the table
- Malik Monk says he’s open to taking less money to stay with Lakers
- Report: Kyrie Irving could be willing to sign with Lakers for $6 million mid-level exception
- Report: Lakers are only team eyeing Kyrie Irving via sign-and-trade, but Nets aren’t believed to have interest in available deals
- Report: Sources ‘very’ close to the situation ‘strongly’ believe Kyrie Irving is trying to make his way to the Lakers
Report: Lakers passed on opportunity to re-sign Alex Caruso to team-friendly deal
- Updated: August 4, 2021
According to a report, the Los Angeles Lakers declined the opportunity to re-sign Alex Caruso on a team-friendly deal.
“I think the Lakers looked at Alex Caruso and said, ‘We’re happy for you, we really appreciate everything you’ve done, we wish we could keep you, but, you know’…he was willing to go back there at three years and $30 million Brian [Windhorst],” said NBA insider Ramona Shelburne during a recent podcast appearance. “He actually gave them that option, even at the end. It’s less than what he signed for in Chicago. But even that was more than they were willing to pay. … That was as far as they were willing to go. They looked at Caruso and said, ‘We can go to $7 million a year, but above that it gets too cost-prohibitive.’”
It was previously reported that the Lakers didn’t even extend a counter to Caruso after the Chicago Bulls made their offer to the guard. He ultimately signed with Chicago on a four-year contract worth $37 million.
Caruso’s impact rarely shows up on the box score, but he is the type of player that every team should want on its side.
In the 2020-21 season, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. The 27-year-old is an elite defender, and he constantly makes hustle plays on both ends of the floor. That’s where most of his value comes from.
Caruso is going to fit in as a nice piece for a rebuilding Bulls team. His presence will be missed in L.A. It seems like the Lakers prioritized the signings of several other key players over Caruso.
In the 2021-22 campaign, L.A. will be looking to win its second NBA title in a span of three seasons. The team certainly has the roster to get the job done.
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