Report: Lakers’ Alex Caruso to meet with several teams when free agency opens
The Los Angeles Lakers are slated to have over 10 free agents this summer, so the front office will have plenty of work to assemble a coherent roster alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
Because the new trio will absorb a bulk of the Lakers’ cap space, signing higher-valued players won’t be easy, even their own free agents.
Alex Caruso is one of the free agents the Lakers will need to make a decision on. He’s developed into a stable 3-and-D combo guard off the bench who can bring the ball up or roam the perimeter for catch-and-shoot opportunities.
On defense, Caruso is one of the best defensive guards in the league and can match up well with just about anyone.
But Caruso’s stock is significantly higher than the last time he was a free agent, and he’s expected to be a hot name in this year’s not-as-good market.
According to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic, Caruso will browse his options with different teams:
“The Lakers should and will try to retain Caruso and Horton-Tucker, but that will depend on how deep they are willing to go into the luxury tax. Caruso knocked down 40.1 percent of his 3s last season. He is expected to meet with several teams when free agency begins Monday afternoon, a league source told The Athletic, with a belief that he will have multiple options at the full midlevel exception of $9.5 million.”
Prior to trading for Westbrook, the Lakers had the full $9.5 million taxpayer MLE available, but that figure has declined to $5.9 million.
It will all come down to what Caruso values at this time of his career. At 27 years old, this could be the most value he has on the open market, and could opt for a nice payday with a team that can offer more money than L.A.
But if he’s willing to take a pay cut for a better chance to compete for another ring, then re-signing with the Lakers would be the route.
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