KEY POINTS

  • Alex Caruso reveals that the Lakers had lowballed him during their negotiations, leading to him joining the Bulls
  • Financial security was Caruso's main motivator, citing that he finally had decision-making powers after going undrafted in 2016
  • The Lakers are currently missing Caruso's energy on the court as they rank 28th in points allowed

Perennial fan-favorite Alex Caruso has finally broken his silence on what happened between him and the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason.

While many have heard the Lakers' side via general manager Rob Pelinka, Caruso went on retired sharpshooter JJ Redick's podcast to share his side of the story.

“I didn’t really hear much from any team — including the Lakers — leading up to [the] 6:00PM [deadline]. They [Los Angeles Lakers] called and the Lakers made their offer. It wasn’t an offer I was going to accept because I was going to be able to get considerably more money from another team,” Caruso divulged.

Caruso also revealed that while people were circulating rumors of him signing the mid-level exception worth $40 million over four years with a few other teams, the official offer by the Lakers had not even come close to that.

His agent then contacted him and relayed to him the message that the Chicago Bulls were prepared to sign him, but he expressed his doubts after Lonzo Ball signed with them and took them off his list of destinations.

After talking with Bulls general manager Artūras Karnišovas and head coach Billy Donovan on his role in Chicago, he brought their four-year, $37 million offer to the Lakers and asked whether they would consider matching it or even going for less.

To make the long story short, the Lakers lowballed Caruso initially and declined every attempt that the player made to secure his place with the franchise.

Money being the motivator for his move out of the City of Angels is a fair and understandable move.

Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft and played his way into the NBA via the G-League before becoming a major piece in the Lakers’ 2020 NBA Finals run.

“I need to get as much money because this is real life we’re talking about. I needed to financially secure [myself and those around me],” he stated.

His departure from the Lakers made an instant impact as their aging wings could not provide the same energy and athleticism that Caruso had, dropping them to 14th in defensive rating and 28th in points allowed.

Now with the Bulls, Caruso saw his minutes jump to around 28 per game while providing much needed defensive stats and transition scoring.

The 27-year-old will figure to be a major player off the bench as the Bulls look to make a return to the playoffs after missing out for the past four seasons.

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