Los Angeles Lakers fans have been clamoring for the return of Alex Caruso ever since he left the team in the first place. A Caruso reunion is finally in the realm of possibility with there being rumors that the Lakers are potentially interested in adding Caruso at the deadline this season.
If Caruso is ever going to be traded then the Lakers need the Bulls to continue their losing ways. If Chicago is in striking distance for a playoff spot then there is no chance that the front office will be willing to accept defeat and become sellers.
That being said, if the Bulls are out of striking range we could see a fire sale coming out of Chicago. If so, there will be multiple different ways that the Lakers can trade for Caruso.
3 Lakers trade packages to bring Alex Caruso back to LA:
If the Lakers are only interested in adding Caruso then this is the type of trade package that the team would send. Los Angeles can swap Taurean Prince out with two of the minimum contracts that they signed this offseason but this is the easiest way to make the deal work money-wise without shipping out too many players.
Once Jarred Vanderbilt (who cannot be traded this season) is healthy the Lakers may have less of a need for Prince, especially with how well Christian Wood is playing so far this season. While Prince was a great pickup for LA, swapping him for more backcourt depth would only benefit the Lakers.
Lakers fans are very high on Max Christie and may scoff at this trade but the fact of the matter is that Christie is not part of the rotation right now and he is a free agent after the year. There is no guarantee the Lakers bring him back, so it makes sense to sprinkle him in the deal as an added plus.
LA will have to trade some kind of draft capital and a swap in 2028 is the best way to go about that. It still gives the Lakers a first-round pick in 2028 and allows the team to trade its 2029 first in the future if need be.