The Los Angeles Lakers added multiple solid players in free agency, but there was a big loss involved.
Alex Caruso left to sign a four-year deal worth $37 million with the Chicago Bulls, ending his tenure with the Lakers.
Caruso’s camp reportedly went back to the Lakers to see if they would match Chicago’s offer, but L.A. declined to do so.
It was an unfortunate ending to Caruso’s four-year tenure in L.A. He worked up from an undrafted player to a staple in the Lakers’ closing lineup alongside stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Moments like that are what Caruso will miss the most. He fit seamlessly alongside James as both meshed smoothly with one another on both ends of the floor.
In the 2019-20 season, when the Lakers won the NBA championship, Caruso had a plus-minus of +238 with James, which is a ridiculously high mark for any pairing.
Now with the Bulls, Caruso reflected on playing with James and what he’ll miss from it, via the Chicago Bulls:
Alex Caruso: "As far as playing with LeBron, I'll never take that for granted, how much he does for his teammates. I'll miss throwing him lobs – hopefully me and Zach can get on that same page."
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 13, 2021
The Lakers will surely miss Caruso’s defensive presence, as his prowess on that end could always be counted on.
Los Angeles signed more offensive-minded guards in free agency in Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk, but both aren’t on the same defensive level as Caruso. It’ll be interesting to see how Frank Vogel, one of the best defensive-minded coaches, tinkers around that.
