Rumor - Trade for Alex Caruso

I think everybody and their mother realize that trading Alex was a huge mistake.

The Lakers chose between he and THT and chose incorrectly.

It would make sense to bring him back for a number of reasons including his NBA first team defense and intelligence on the court.

He makes his teammates better and the Lakers need a lot more of that.

At least one NBA Exec anticipates that the Lakers will pursue him and the longer the Lakers wait is the more expensive Alex will be.

Chicago is considering blowing things up including moving Zach Lavine.

Right about now would be a perfect time to go after Alex...

https://lakersnation.com/nba-executive-sees-lakers-pursuing-trade-for-bulls-alex-caruso/

I'm gonna bring this back up.

Trading Alex away was even more dumb that breaking up the championship team from a couple of years prior.

He left LA and made First Team All Defense. What do the Lakers need now? Defense. Duh!

LeBron reflects on the importance of the role Alex plays.

Is LeBron going to retire or is he going to stay with the Lakers on a new three year contract worth one hundred million? Do you guys think that is a smart thing for the Lakers to give a 41 year old athlete that much money in a new contract? Personally I think it is dumb. How many good young players would that much money get to improve the team for many years ahead.

That is why I say the Lakers will not win another championship putting so much money on two players and the rest get crumbs.

This thread is about Caruso, one of the dumbest trades in THE NBA.

An article came out Wednesday citing Alex as the likely reason that OKC will win the championship...

He makes super smart decisions like Austin... More valuable than a super athlete!

Since the Lakers have been sold to Mark Walter, maybe LeBron might be going else where. I agree also that OKC probably would not win without Caruso. He is very good defender and even on offense, he has really improved since he was with the Lakers. And if they let Reaves go, it will be another big mistake.

I'm gonna bring this back up.

Trading Alex away was even more dumb that breaking up the championship team from a couple of years prior.

He left LA and made First Team All Defense. What do the Lakers need now? Defense. Duh!

LeBron reflects on the importance of the role Alex plays.

Link

There isn’t any need to revisit the Alex Caruso relationship. The Lakers need perimeter defense but Alex is now 31 (32 in Feb), not 26 when he was in LA. Count it as a lesson learned and get some guys who can grow into a defensive guy. Looking to acquire established vets has been this franchise’s downfall, it’s partially why the mostly have been a middle of the pack team. It’s not easy finding a guys Alex’s size who can defend multiple guys but there isn’t any point in paying big money to a guy who will be 32 next season when we have a 40-year old on the roster and two other defenders pushing 30 and over 30 in Vincent and Finley-Smith.

Since the Lakers have been sold to Mark Walter, maybe LeBron might be going else where. I agree also that OKC probably would not win without Caruso. He is very good defender and even on offense, he has really improved since he was with the Lakers. And if they let Reaves go, it will be another big mistake.

I was excited about the sale of the Lakers until I read that part of the deal means Buss still runs the Lakers for some years. That tidbit of news ruined the good news of the sale for me. In my opinion, the Buss and Pelinka team is just like Kupchak and Buss. Their insistence on acquiring vets to put around an older Lebron was keeping the team stagnant.

The acquisition of Luka injected some life into the roster but this team won’t be able to compete against the good teams in this league, not in a seven game series. There are too many teams who have deeper rosters with major athleticism.

There isn’t any need to revisit the Alex Caruso relationship. The Lakers need perimeter defense but Alex is now 31 (32 in Feb), not 26 when he was in LA. Count it as a lesson learned and get some guys who can grow into a defensive guy. Looking to acquire established vets has been this franchise’s downfall, it’s partially why the mostly have been a middle of the pack team. It’s not easy finding a guys Alex’s size who can defend multiple guys but there isn’t any point in paying big money to a guy who will be 32 next season when we have a 40-year old on the roster and two other defenders pushing 30 and over 30 in Vincent and Finley-Smith.

Alex is so much more than that... He can score 20 points when needed as well his intelligent on-the-court decision making...

I would welcome him back without a thought and obviously, so would LeBron.

There's been too much focus upon Stars and not enough focus upon significant role players and team building. The thinking is who would Kobe want, then LeBron and now Luka. Win now means Win for LeBron! It's as if they lack the ability to construct a team. Maybe the new ownership will remedy that never ending Rookie mistake.

Finney-Smith and Vando are usually offensive liabilities to name one glaring example and the thinking is to include Austin in a trade for a big!!??

Caruso can defensive disrupt anybody...

I wasn’t attempting to minimaliize Caruso’s game but he is mostly known for his defense. He’s like a poor man’s Jrue Holiday, withe ability to defend multiple guys, move without the ball, finish and knock down shots. My concern is his age on a roster that doesn’t have the length, youth or athleticism of OKC. It always comes down to team defense , when guys age and lose that lateral quickness, they tend to still be a good defender on a good defensive team and less of a defensive stopper. I’m not saying he’d be a waste but I’d rather them go younger. Perhaps Bronny can develop into something such as Caruso and carve out a role for himself.

Jeannie and crew are one reason why it’s been hard for me to choke down Laker games. They don’t seem to have a vision for a team,. They just want to get guys who can contribute now and the formula hasn’t worked in my opinion. It’s time to stop trying to build around superstars who kick out for jump shots and time to implement a drive and kick system like every modern offensive team in the NBA.

I would be concerned about Caruso's age if he were 34 or 35. He's got 2 contracts left in him which places him at the tail end of his peak. If the Lakers could get him back now, I would consider that to be a win.

No vision you say? No clue I would add...

Which Buss was it who stated that he would step down if the Lakers did not have a winning season during the next 3 years? No greater testament to uncertainty has ever been stated in the history of the NBA. It's quite often the case that the children of wealth are less motivated to succeed, given money as the measure, and they fail to reach the heights of their parents as a result. The sad truth is that the Buss children clearly want to carry forward the Buss legacy, but they lack the ability to do this themselves, including potent hirings and delegations, and they defer much of this decision making to others whom also have mostly failed which for me includes Magic Johnson and the former white center (name?) significantly.

The new owners, whomever they are, seem content with ownership but at least understand how critical proper ownership and delegation, role players and continuity, are to success. I expect a few big changes and a lot less turnover over the next few years... I'm not yet convinced that the AD for Luka trade was all that... Dallas will be nearly impossible to beat next season... All the way back to most of Phil Jackson's era, the Lakers have been slow to focus upon point guards and centers... This is the grammar of the team meaning that you cannot form a proper sentence without these two positions clearly defined.

The problem with the Lakers is they spend too much money on two super stars. So they do not have much left under the salary cap to spend on good role players. The Sun's paid the most luxury tax 208.62 million. The Lakers paid 53.16 million in luxury tax for 2024-25. Maybe now with the new owners they will not be afraid to spend some cash on this team and get it back to championship caliber.

Just read that the Lakers traded for Ayton Deandre. Man that is a good trade Pelinka made. Now that was the missing puzzle for the Lakers to be successful. Now about four or five got traded, so now it is time to look around and see who can fill those positions. I notice Vando , Vincent, Kelber were involved in the trade.

Just read that the Lakers traded for Ayton Deandre. Man that is a good trade Pelinka made. Now that was the missing puzzle for the Lakers to be successful. Now about four or five got traded, so now it is time to look around and see who can fill those positions. I notice Vando, Vincent, Kelber were involved in the trade.

Where did you read this? It's not on Bleacher Report or Lakers Nation.

A decent trade if true. He has yet to reach his potential.

I don't think that trade has occurred Axle, but due to Portland picking a Center in the draft, 26 year old Ayton might be available. He's owed $35M which is huge for his inconsistent output.

A similar situation has occurred in New Orleans and some are wondering if 21 years old Yves Missi is available.

Note that Reaves turned down $22.5M / year for 4 years, so the Lakers likely could not afford Ayton if they intend to keep Reaves even though the offer he received was the apparently the max the Lakers can offer.

They are also looking at Jalen Duran in Detroit. I would be willing to lose Rui, who would fit very well in Detroit, if they could land Duran.

I think you are right Skyeword, I jumped the gun on the article by Sai Mohan. I was in a hurry and did not read the whole article, seems like the Blazers got a big on the draft, so they have been shopping Aydon and the Lakers through Clutch Sports are trying to make this deal. But you are right, I do not think it has been cleared yet. OH! I forgot Knecht is also included on that trade if it happens.

I think you are right Skyeword, I jumped the gun on the article by Sai Mohan. I was in a hurry and did not read the whole article, seems like the Blazers got a big on the draft, so they have been shopping Aydon and the Lakers through Clutch Sports are trying to make this deal. But you are right, I do not think it has been cleared yet. OH! I forgot Knecht is also included on that trade if it happens.

I found the article you are referring to. They use deceptive phrasing in their titles to sound as if decisions have already been made...

This form of deceptive marketing and click bait, aka fake news, will die a quick death soon.

The world is tired of rewarding liars and receiving inaccurate information in exchange for their valuable time.

Gem!!!!.....Long time my dude. Where you been?