“He knows where all the 10 guys are supposed to be.” This is what Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said about his teammate and veteran guard, Alex Caruso. While the spotlight has been on all the young and rising superstars, OKC’s veteran guard has been silently going about his business. Well, not so silently because he dropped a 20-point game-winning performance the other night, ensuring his team did not travel to Indiana with a series deficit on their backs. 

It’s pretty great to see someone like Caruso light it up in the NBA Finals, especially given that he’s made his bones in the league after going undrafted in 2016. However, that hasn’t stopped Alex Caruso from becoming one of the most sought-after defensive guards in the league. If anything, going undrafted out of college might have fueled his passion and grit to achieve more. For all those reasons and more, the Thunder’s 31-year-old deserves a lot of praise.

However, we all might not have seen this resurgence had the Lakers decided to keep Caruso. But why would they let go of such a versatile player?

Did the Lakers Lowball Alex Caruso During Free Agency?

Alex Caruso once again showed why his departure from Los Angeles remains one of the most criticized decisions in recent memory. On Saturday, the OKC Thunder guard exploded for 20 points, leading his team to a comfortable 123-107 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The 31-year-old’s performance was a reminder of his two-way reliability that once made him a fan favorite in Southern California. Moreover, it also rubbed salt on the wounds of Jeanie Buss and the rest of the LA front office. 

If it were up to Caruso, he would’ve never left the Purple & Gold. However, sadly, that wasn’t the case. Although from a distance the guard’s departure seemed a simple free agency move, it wasn’t until later that the uncomfortable truth behind the trade was revealed. Caruso, a valuable piece from the Lakers’ 2020 championship-winning team, faced pivotal crossroads when his two-year deal with LA came to an end in 2021. Many expected the Lakers to offer him a new deal, given that he was on a $5.5 million contract. 

However, the front office stunned everyone by letting Alex Caruso join the Chicago Bulls from free agency. But how did this happen? To put it simply, LA tried to lowball their way with the guard. The Thunder star himself revealed that the LA Lakers offered him a less than 2-year, $15 million contract in the free agency, a startlingly low number. However, Caruso still tried to make a deal work with the franchise, despite them not valuing him anywhere near what they should’ve. 

He brought the offer he received from the Bulls in front of the Lakers, hoping they’d at least try to match it. Caruso called his agent to strike a deal somewhere around $20 million for two years, which was slightly less than the $10 million per year he would receive from the Bulls over four years. LA’s response? You guessed it! They yet again refused to negotiate with Caruso. Despite Caruso compromising a whopping $20 million over the two years, Los Angeles remained firm with their stringent $21 million three-year deal. 

This indicated only one thing, the lack of true commitment to retain a championship-winning guard. But why? Did the Lakers value tax saving over a two-way reliable guard?

Did the Lakers Choose Luxury Tax Savings Over Keeping Caruso?

There’s no doubt that Alex Caruso is one of the most, if not the most, infectious defenders in the league. The 31-year-old’s energy on the court is just off the charts. He could’ve done all of this donning the Purple & Gold. So, why didn’t the Lakers respect him? To put it bluntly, after building their roster in the offseason, the Lakers were staring at a massive $44 million luxury tax bill. So, adding Alex Caruso to their ranks would’ve only pushed this number forward, something the management could not afford. 

What did they do instead? If Caruso agreed to the deal that the Lakers were willing to offer, the franchise would have to dish out another $17.5 million in luxury taxes. So, instead of increasing their offer, Jeanie Buss and Co. expected the guard to understand where they were coming from. Even though the huge amount wouldn’t land in Caruso’s pocket, the franchise hoped that he’d see that they were willing to commit more than Chicago. But, could you in reality expect a player, who basically played two years on minimum salary, to understand this? 

We mean, Caruso himself previously stated that he was getting paid peanuts. So, there’s no way one could expect him, out of all the superstars on LA’s roster, to understand “total financial commitment.” This was just too much of an ask from a role player rather than its starters. This enabled the OKC Thunder star to do what any other person in his place would’ve done: take the better offer, which in his case was from Chicago. It makes you wonder, would things between LA and Alex Caruso have ended differently, had they prioritized their roster instead of superstars?

Was Alex Caruso’s Departure a Result of the Lakers Prioritizing Stars Over Role Players?

If you don’t remember, let us give you a reminder of how the trade window went for LA back in 2021. The Lakers team that was coming off a championship-winning season decided to put all its eggs into one basket, acquiring Russell Westbrook in the hopes of building a dynasty. While the idea of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Westbrook in one lineup was a scary sight, it did not come without a cost. In fact, it came at a cost that the Lakers’ nation regrets to this day. The acquisition of Westbrook meant that LA had to cut corners. 

So, how did they do that? Of course, that meant compromising the team’s depth. This is why the Lakers got cheap with Alex Caruso in the free agency. James, AD, and Westbrook’s massive contracts left almost no room for other valuable players, such as Caruso, who were due a good payday. Moreover, this also reflected on the larger picture of LA valuing the big names over hard-working, tenacious players. Overall, Caruso’s departure from LA was caused by poor roster management and tax prioritization.

Nonetheless, looking back, the 31-year-old would not have many regrets given he’s found a new home in Oklahoma City, which has treated him just like its own.