For the Los Angeles Lakers, perimeter defense remains a huge issue. While trade rumors hint at the franchise going after a backup big man to start the season, getting another guard or wing who could help out Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the backcourt will be crucial when the trade deadline comes around, and one familiar name could be back in the mix as a top target: Alex Caruso of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With the recent news of the Thunder agreeing to a contract extension with Cason Wallace, the team’s salary cap is looking mighty hefty over the next few years. Though Caruso has been a key piece of the roster for the past few seasons, he could be on his way out soon, as Oklahoma City will have four near-max contracts on the books very soon.
If that is the case, the Lakers could be one of the top landing spots for the two-time champion. They’ve been linked to him in the past, and Caruso offers the exact skill set Los Angeles has been missing since he left in 2021.
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With Wallace signing a five-year, $139 million contract extension days before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, the Thunder are quickly going to run into some serious money issues with him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren all on the books for hundreds of millions through the rest of the decade.
With that, as Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote for LakeShowLife.com, Caruso could become expendable, and if that does become the case, expect the Lakers to be at the front of the line waiting to bring him back.
“The Oklahoma City Thunder have long stood by Alex Caruso being a part of their core. How much longer can they afford for that to be true after giving Cason Wallace his brand-new extension on Sunday night?” the writer asked. “The former Los Angeles Lakers champion could get squeezed out in the process.”
Caruso is currently in the second season of his four-year, $81 million deal, set to make roughly $20 million annually now until 2028-29.
That might be a lot of money for a Lakers team that also has three stars making a ton of money, but if the Thunder show interest in moving on from Caruso, his multiple All-Defensive team honors, championship experience, and status as a former Purple and Gold fan favorite should make him a top candidate to return to Los Angeles, or at least become available in a trade in the near future.
“Dumping Caruso as a part of the solution does stick out as the low-hanging fruit, though,” Rovenchuk added.
“The former Laker had a concerning season of shooting in 2025-26 before catching fire in the NBA Playoffs and making his spot on the Thunder far more secure. That comfort may be short-term. With OKC’s ability to refresh their core via the NBA Draft, a Caruso cap dump is certainly on the table.”
Alex Caruso In The NBA
If Reaves’ rise to becoming a near-max contract player is considered mediocre, Caruso becoming a two-time champion from where he started in the NBA towers over that.
After going undrafted in 2016, he joined the Lakers’ G League team, and it took him a year before playing in the NBA.
He saw short stints of action, but in LeBron James‘ first year with the franchise, he quickly stood out as an athletic guard with high defensive upside. During the 2018-19 season, Caruso averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 44.5% shooting in 25 games.
The former Texas A&M star was still making minimum money, but he played a huge role during the Lakers’ championship run in 2020, becoming one of the best role players in the NBA while coming off the bench as a backup guard.
After solidifying his name as a solid NBA player, Caruso then left the Lakers in 2021 to sign a four-year, $37 million deal with the Chicago Bulls. He played well there for three seasons as an off-and-on starter, but was traded to the Thunder in the 2024 offseason for Josh Giddey as the final piece to their championship-hopeful core.
In Oklahoma City, Caruso took on a veteran role and became more defensive-minded. His averages still didn’t jump off the page, but he proved his value by locking down Nikola Jokic during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and was a major factor in the team winning the title that year.
He took a slight step back this past season with the Thunder shooting-wise, but remains one of the most versatile defenders in the league. He only played 18.2 minutes per game in 2025-26, but they might have been the most valuable minutes for OKC, even though they didn’t repeat as champions.
Now, with the Thunder keeping Wallace long-term, Caruso could be on the way out soon, and a Lakers reunion could give him a chance to continue what he does best on the defensive end of the floor.
Caruso doesn’t necessarily stand out on the stat sheet, but he’s arguably one of the best role players in recent NBA history, and would likely be welcomed back in Los Angeles, especially if the Lakers could dump some salary in the form of Jarred Vanderbilt or someone at his level to get back the two-time NBA champion whose rise started playing in the Purple and Gold.
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