Westbrook trade and 9 other regrettable Lakers moves Pelinka botched
By Tyler Watts
2. Letting Alex Caruso walk
Rob Pelinka had a decision to make in 2021. The Lakers had two young talents that became free agents, and the franchise only had the means to pay one of them. Pelinka and the brain trust had to choose between retaining Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker.
They played a similar role in the 2020-21 season with THT being six years younger, but Caruso was the better defender and fit around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In 2020, the Lakers had an 18.6 net rating with LeBron and Caruso on the floor together, which was best in the NBA among duos that played a minimum of 400 minutes together. He seemed like the obvious choice, but the Lakers went with youth.
It was quickly clear that LA made the wrong decision. Caruso blossomed in Chicago, including making first-team All-Defense in 2023. Horton-Tucker’s development stalled as his jumper never materialized. The Lakers traded him for Patrick Beverley in 2022, which turned into a disaster of its own.
The Los Angeles Lakers could have a strong defensive-minded guard on a reasonable contract on their roster, but they decided to keep Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso. That was a bad move by Pelinka, but it was not his worst.