Lakers will not overpay to keep Alex Caruso?

Alex Caruso is one of the most popular players within the Los Angeles Lakers fan base. But charm and goodwill might only get him so far.

Basketball writer Eric Pincus said this week in an appearance on the #Lakers Podcast that a reasonable number for Caruso, a free agent this offseason, may be around $5 million to $6 million per year. Pincus added that the Lakers might let Caruso go if he gets more than that from another team.

While Caruso is an excellent defender, that seems to be a fair number for a guy who has career averages of 5.9 points and 2.3 assists per game. Granted, the 27-year-old is now the Lakers’ longest-tenured player after the departures of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma in the Russell Westbrook trade.

We do know one team that might want to steal away Caruso from the Lakers, especially if they are aware that Los Angeles is unwilling to overpay for him.