Why the Los Angeles Lakers could say yes to this Alex Caruso trade:
It’s Alex Caruso. Is there really anything else we need to write to get this point across? Lakers fans might end up throwing a parade if the Lake Show was able to bring Caruso back.
In all reality, there is a nuanced conversation to have here. While Caruso is undoubtedly valuable, it is worth questioning whether or not he would be worth a first-round pick, especially when said pick is very valuable and the team has been holding onto them through thick and thin.
Caruso is absolutely worth a first-round pick and the Lakers would just have to hope that the value of their selection is worth more than other teams offer (more on that later). Not only is he extremely valuable to an NBA rotation but the Lakers already know that he works in Los Angeles.
Everyone knows that Caruso was impactful with the Lakers but fans may not realize just how impactful he really was. The duo of LeBron James and Alex Caruso had the best net rating of any two-man lineup in the entire league in the Lakers’ championship season (with as many minutes played as they had).
The following season was not as impressive as Anthony Davis being hurt did bring those numbers down but LeBron and Caruso were still an elite pairing. They were the 13th-best two-man lineup in the entire sport.
The entire conversation around the team right now is about how the front office can bring in help for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Caruso is that help. We know it works and Los Angeles would be bringing him in at a cheap price for several years.
Plus, if the Lakers can pull off a trade with a 2028 pick swap that keeps their flexibility in trading the 2027 and 2029 picks unprotected in the future. That is a huge benefit of this kind of deal.
The only concern is the fact that they let him walk for nothing two summers ago, which may indicate how much they value him as a player. If these last two seasons taught the front office anything, though, it is that they made a massive mistake with Caruso.