Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after being fouled.
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ reported plan to reunite LeBron James and Alex Caruso hits a roadblock as the Chicago Bulls have kept the All-Defensive guard off the table.
“A bevy of teams has been expressing interest in trading for Bulls utility star Alex Caruso, league sources say, but the franchise has shut down those calls,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on December 11.
Caruso is “the one that got away” for the Lakers after letting him walk following their championship run in the NBA Bubble in 2020. After the Lakers lowballed him, he signed a $36.9 million, four-year deal with the Bulls.
“AC, he’s the one that got away,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha said on the “Hoops Tonight” podcast on November 28. “It still bothers them inside the organization. It’s still a very divisive topic in terms of his departure and why that happened, and who’s to blame, and it’s just kind of a thorny situation still.”
Caruso played a career-high 67 games last season en route to being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. This season, he is averaging a career-best 9.5 points on 46.4% 3-point shooting.
LeBron James’ Best Lakers Wingman
Caruso is considered James’ best Lakers wingman.
Over the last two seasons they played together, James and Caruso had the highest net rating among any two-man lineup in the team. During their championship run in the 2019-20 season, they had a plus-18.6 net rating. The following season, Caruso’s final year with the Lakers, they registered a plus-17.1 net rating.
James even nicknamed Caruso G.O.A.T. during his Lakers days.
“Every time he’s in the game, he’s a plus guy,” James said of Caruso in a New York Times interview in 2020. “He can do so much. He can defend at a high level. He’s very smart. He’s very tough. To have him on this ball club is a luxury.”
Lakers, 76ers Expected Zach LaVine Suitors
With Caruso unavailable, the Lakers could pivot to his Bulls’ All-Star teammate Zach LaVine.
“The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers are expected suitors for LaVine, but both are operating from positions of patience and due diligence,” Charania wrote.
The Bulls have won four straight games without LaVine, who is out to treat his right foot inflammation. The high-flying wing could miss three to four weeks.
The Lakers are among NBA teams monitoring his health situation. The 10-year veteran has only played more than 70 games in just three seasons and only once over the last seven years. They are also wary of the potential fallout of a LaVine trade, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
“The sense around the league is that the Lakers are wary of boosting their weak half (offense) at the expense of their defense (and their cap sheet) in any potential LaVine deals,” Lowe wrote on December 8.
LaVine is in the second season of a $215 million, five-year max extension he signed with the Bulls last year. The Bulls are having buyer’s remorse following their slow start. The Bulls hitting their strides with LaVine out only bolsters their confidence to part ways with him.