Lakers rumors: 3 reasons Derrick Rose for Alex Caruso wasn’t happening

Lakers rumors will heat up to the highest levels with the trade deadline less than two days away. Lake Show Life breaks down the Detroit Pistons offering Derrick Rose for Alex Caruso. We have the reasons why Caruso was in no danger of going anywhere. 

First off, before we get to the latest Los Angeles Lakers rumors, Rob Pelinka deserves a huge Lake Show Life shout out and support. He is currently dealing with his busiest week during the season under the worst circumstances possible.

Mr. Pelinka should not have to be thinking about the trade deadline while grieving over the death of possibly his closest friend in Kobe Bryant and his god-daughter, Gianna. This isn’t fair folks. It’s just not fair.

But here we are just a few days away from Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 3:00 EST. The NBA trade deadline and Lakers rumors were already floating around before the tragic accident. Now everyone seemingly is trying to catch back up. Including the Lake Show Life staff.

The funny thing is that the NBA trade deadline is getting closer by the day and the league as a whole hasn’t done much far as player movement is concerned. There are a lot of rumors out there but no action.

The lack of movement will affect the Los Angeles Lakers, who are still looking for a playmaker that can get his own shot to orchestrate the offense when LeBron James is on the bench. They also could use a wing defender that can shoot somewhat. But what NBA team wouldn’t want a 3-and-D player at this point?

For some reason, the Los Angeles Lakers lately always gets attached to a player in Detroit that seems to theoretically solve all of the playmaking issues. His name is Derrick Rose.

https://twitter.com/ESPNLosAngeles/status/1221191514098950148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1221191514098950148&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D109595%26action%3Dedit

Lake Show Life had an in-depth report recently about Derrick Rose possibly being linked in a deal that had to include Kyle Kuzma. It’s hard to sell a fan base in Detroit trading away arguably the best player on the roster this season for anything else, right? There can’t be a report that is attached to Lakers rumors for less.

Fortunately for this Lakers website, Lake Show Life, the lessons of anything can and usually does happen in the NBA has been learned.

It seems that reports did surface that the Pistons did contact the Lakers with a possible deal for Rose. The Lakers said no. That seems right. Kuzma has too much upside at a good price to give up for an aging star on a bad team.

Here lies the rub, the offer didn’t include Kuzma. Okay, the staff will allow some of you Lakers fans to sit down for a minute and take a deep breath. Yes, despite the glaring need for a playmaking point guard, the Lakers seem to have another player they don’t want to let go in a deal for the former NBA MVP in Rose.

The player’s name? Alex Caruso.

It seems that Rose reportedly to the Lakers was not worth a deal that includes a combination of these assets according to Heavy.com.

• Lakers fan-favorite not named Anthony Davis or LeBron James, Alex Caruso.
• A second-round pick
• Cash considerations for salary filler. 

ESPN’s Jorge Sedano, who revealed the Lakers turned down the trade during a radio segment on the Mason & Ireland Show.

"“I’ve heard rumblings that the Lakers said no to that,” said Sedano. “I’ve heard that – not confirmed from anyone, I’ve just heard through hushed tones and whispers,” he added."

Don’t you just love Lakers rumors? Hushed tones and whispers with no confirmations. It seems especially strange considering that reports from The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III mentioning a first-round pick was definitely part of the equation, Detroit wouldn’t make a deal like this.

Especially when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Pistons are in talks with the Phoenix Suns.

Suns Receive: Luke Kennard

Pistons Receive: Jevon Carter, Elie Okobo, and a 1st-Round Pick

With Rose putting up numbers totaling 18 points and six assists in 26 minutes with a skill set the Lakers need comparing to Caruso’s five points in nearly 19 minutes per game seems strange. Even though he’s been a key piece for the Lakers’ second unit with his hustle and defensive acumen, lately Caruso has had major problems at times putting the ball in the basket.

While Derrick Rose is reviving his career with the Detroit Pistons, being linked to the purple and gold makes sense since they are badly in need of an upgrade for Rajon Rondo. But in the end, on the surface, it comes down to this.

The Los Angeles Lakers don’t want the backlash from the fans, even if they will be getting an upgrade in return.

Now let’s discuss the main reasons why.

LeBron James has already said on record that the Lakers have enough already.

LeBron James has come along way since his annual rants in Cleveland. A very long way. A couple of weeks back, James was asked about possible upgrades to the roster. Here’s what he said to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times.

"“We have enough right now,” LeBron James said. “But it’s not about competing and worrying about June, it’s about worrying about January. And if we continue to get better throughout January and we move on to February and continue to get better. “We’re a really good team but we’re not a great team yet,” James added. “And we shouldn’t be. We’ve just now been put together in September. And from September to now, we’re a better team. And if we continue this trend, then we’ll put ourselves in a position where we can compete for a championship and have a chance. And in this league and in sports in general, all you want is a chance.”"

Granted this was a few days after Kyrie Irving threw his new set of teammates in Brooklyn under the bus, but again it’s not like he wasn’t doing the same around the trade deadline in the past. Or even last year for that matter.

But it is easier to be savvy when the Lakers are sitting on a 37-11 record with an NBA high 21 of those wins coming on the road. Plus when you have an NBA record 15 straight conference wins on the road, it’s time to really wonder if chemistry should be messed with here.

Much of the Lakers’ locker room is political. LeBron James actually likes Alex Caruso and what he brings to the team. Plus, having a nickname doesn’t hurt.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1217255595595771904

What gets lost here is that Alex Caruso is genuinely liked by fans and his teammates alike. His hustle has been a major part of the team’s success earlier this season. Remember, he never got off the pine on opening night. Now he’s in the rotation getting 19 minutes with many (Lake Show Life included!) thinking he should get Rajon Rondo’s too.

But this really over-analyzing the obvious here. It’s up to the Lakers to decide no matter what option or player to move if it is worth the trouble. LZ Granderson says it best.

https://twitter.com/ESPNLosAngeles/status/1221177169818374144

Lake Show Life reported it once and will report it again. The Los Angeles Lakers will go the buyout route. Here’s why.

The Lakers are in desperate need of flexibility. Derrick Rose’s extra year makes it worse!

There’s a reason why the Los Angeles Lakers are basically praying that the Memphis Grizzlies will buy out Andre Iguodala and/or Darren Collison picks them over the Clippers.

The Lakers almost bankrupted their assets to get Anthony Davis this summer. Plus, the salaries of these potential players will be a whole lot cheaper and will clear the books for more flexibility.

To all the fans that don’t think that is important, just look at all the Lakers rumors (Including this one!) that make entirely no sense.

Alex Caruso is on a very modest two-year $5.5 million contract that is very easy to move at any time. Derrick Rose, on the other hand, is seemingly harder to move than even the Pistons realize considering he is older, injury-prone and not popular to teams that want to hold on to first-round picks.

At $7 million next year, let’s assume the deal was made and it was a disaster. His contract would be unmovable. Is it an unpopular take? Okay sure, but it’s the truth.

Now considering that the Lakers keep their intentions about as secret as the ingredients to Coca-Cola, they won’t tell anyone that they are creating as much cap space as possible to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020-21.

Does this mean that the Lakers will GET the “Greek Freak”? No. But you can’t cross the bridge without having the money to pay the toll. The Lakers have done their due diligence hiring Jason Kidd, who was Giannis’ first coach and is given credit for his development early in his career.

His brother Kostas is currently in the G-League, something for his older brother to think about.

Finally, it’s the Lakers. No one thought Shaquille O’Neal would come in the late ’90s. Who thought LeBron James would be a possible option last year? Anthony Davis?

Superstar players command max contracts. Those contracts are impossible without salary cap flexibility. Oh, by the way, the salary cap actually goes down due to the Daryl Morey fiasco.

Convinced yet? Maybe this will reason will.

Why is this a part of Lakers Rumors? Has anybody ever thought of the fact that Derrick Rose is not that good? 

Sure, there will be plenty of statements in the comment section about his stats and how much this article is hating on Derrick Rose. He averages 18 points. He’s getting back to where he was before. Man, please.

The Detroit Pistons stink and are offloading as many contracts as possible. Andre Drummond could be gone, Luke Kennard may be gone before this article gets published. The team is being blown up as we write this. Why?

The Pistons are 18-34 after losing seven of their last ten games. How bad are they? The New York Knicks are two games in the loss column behind the Pistons, who fired their head coach and President of Basketball Operations in less than three months. Believe it or not, they have more salary-cap flexibility.

Why are Derrick Rose’s stats so good? His usage rate is high. What other option does the Detroit Pistons have at this point? Oh, we’ll wait.

Reggie Jackson is just getting back in the lineup after being injured. Blake Griffin will not be seen until next year at the very earliest and the only reason Andre Drummond is playing reasonably well is that it’s a contract year.

Lake Show Life will have complete coverage of all Lakers rumors through the trade deadline. Keep it locked.