Lakers regret in Alex Caruso nightmare grows as player signed over him is out of NBA

There are plenty of decisions the Los Angeles Lakers wish they could go back in time and undo, with one being prioritizing re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso. One of those players won (another) NBA title a few months ago, and the other is out of the league. Fans don't need the reminder of which is which.

Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported on Monday that Horton-Tucker is finalizing a contract with Fenerbahce Istanbul in the EuroLeague.

Urbonas said that THT still hopes he can sign with an NBA team, but if that doesn't happen (it's already September), then he'll play overseas.

The 24-year-old signed a partially guaranteed deal with the Bulls last summer, which became fully guaranteed in January. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game (58 contests), shooting 45.7% from the field and 33.6% from three. Horton-Tucker entered the offseason as a free agent.

Former Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker finalizing deal to play overseas

Horton-Tucker was once considered "off limits" in trade talks for the Lakers. He re-signed with LA in 2021 on a three-year, $31 million deal. The Lakers didn't want to pay THT and Caruso, so they lowballed the latter, and he walked. Horton-Tucker spent only one more season in Los Angeles, as the Lakers traded him to the Jazz the following offseason in a deal for Patrick Beverley (who is out of the NBA).

Meanwhile, Caruso signed a four-year, $37 million deal with Chicago in 2021. He spent three seasons with the Bulls before they traded him to the Thunder last year for Josh Giddey. Caruso averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for OKC in its championship season.

Horton-Tucker is still young, so it's possible that he could sign with an NBA team, but it doesn't look like it'll happen before the season starts. For someone who was once considered a promising young player, this isn't the trajectory he envisioned for himself. Nor did the Lakers.

What's done is done, and it's been a few years since THT suited up for LA, but watching Caruso win a second title in June with another reminder of what could've been. He could win a third, as the Thunder will try to become the first repeat NBA champion since the Warriors in 2018.

Hopefully, of course, the Lakers hope to have something to say about that, but they're not projected to be a top team in the West. That doesn't mean they won't be. They do have a player named Luka Doncic now, making living through all of LA's past poor decisions worth it.