The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to acquire Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards this past week. While the move is huge, it can’t be the only one L.A. makes. The Lakers need depth and shooting, and one person who could provide them with both is free agent Alex Caruso.
Unfortunately, many believe that Westbrook’s arrival signaled Caruso’s inevitable departure.
“This could be the end of the Alex Caruso era in Los Angeles,” said CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter. “Sort of a cult figure here in L.A., an unrestricted free agent. This source tells me that not everyone in that Lakers organization is enamored with Caruso as some of the other folks that sit in the stands and cheer him on. With Westbrook there now, he could be superfluous.”
This past season Caruso averaged 6.4 points on 43.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc, plus 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. His offensive potential coupled with his defensive tenacity and mixed in with countless examples of him being a great teammate has made him a role player to watch.
There appear to be three serious suitors for Caruso’s services at the moment, assuming he leaves the Lakers.
“I had heard Caruso was a target of the [Indiana] Pacers, [Atlanta] Hawks and [Cleveland] Cavs,” reported Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Last month, Caruso got brutally honest about his future with the Lakers. Based on that, and the constantly evolving cap situations of all the teams pursuing him, anything can happen.
Will Caruso ultimately remain in L.A. when it’s all said and done? Or will he pursue a bigger payday somewhere else? Time will tell.
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