When Alex Caruso, almost single-handedly, helped the Thunder reach the Western Conference Finals on May 18, the Lakers fans wept.
Many were reminded of the critical role Caruso played in helping the Lakers capture the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando Bubble and that the team’s front office let him walk ahead of the 2021-21 season.
Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane wrote, “The Lakers letting Alex Caruso walk made no sense when it happened and has only looked worse as time has gone by.
Lakers beat writer Harrison Faigen made it a point to highlight Caruso’s incredible defense on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the Thunder’s series-clinching Game 7 victory.
“Caruso becoming a Jokic stopper is one final knife to the heart for Lakers fans,” Faigen wrote.
Lakers fan Hub wrote, “Friendly reminder: Alex Caruso wanted to be a Laker..Jeanie Buss didn’t think he was worth the investment.. And the Lakers have been searching for a guy like him since he exited.”
And the Lakers have been searching for a guy like him since he exited.
Alex Caruso Could Have Helped the Lakers
Lakers fan EP felt Lakers front-office head Rob Pelinka committed “a fireable offense” by letting Caruso walk in 2021.
“Watching Alex Caruso defend like this while the Lakers are home is damn near a fireable offense for Rob Pelinka smh #LakeShow.”
It goes without saying, but Caruso could have solved many of the Lakers’ defensive issues in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Against the Timberwolves, the trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves was constantly attacked in pick-and-roll situations, leading to many easy baskets for the opposition. The presence of Caruso could have nullified many of those situations. The 30-year-old guard has also proven to be an adept post defender, something three-time MVP Nikola Jokic found out in the Nuggets-Thunder second-round series.
Alex Caruso Wanted to Stay with Lakers
In the years following his departure, Caruso revealed several times that he intended to remain a Laker for life and that he went to Chicago over a minor pay dispute.
Speaking with “The Old Man and the Three” in November 2021, Caruso confirmed he would have taken less money to stay with the Lakers if they had approached the Bulls’ offer of four years and $37 million. However, the Lakers refused to rework the deal on two separate occasions, forcing Caruso to leave for Chicago.
“So essentially we got that offer, went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, they said ‘no,’ asked for something else that was a little bit less, they said ‘no.’ I said OK, if that’s what it comes to, I’m ready to go to Chicago and start the next chapter.”
Full episode w/ Alex drops tomorrow. Subscribe here: t.co/3wGZq3EszW
The Lakers’ loss was the Bulls’ gain and now the Thunder’s. After his epic performance in Game 7 against the Nuggets, Caruso’s teammates couldn’t stop raving about his impact on winning.
“He’s a player who rises to the occasion,” Shau Gilgeous-Alexander said of Caruso, via The Athletic.
“He’s a player that understands a moment, controls what he can control and does that at a very high level. Nobody that I’ve ever played with does that at a higher level. He’s always figuring out how to change the game and better the team. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday in February in New Orleans or a Game 7 tonight. To have a guy like that on your team, it’s special.”
Lakers Blasted for Letting Alex Caruso Walk: ‘Fireable Offense’