The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to get healthy, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura back in the lineup. At this moment, they hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference and have breezed past the Phoenix Suns in their recent in-season tournament game.
However, despite the Lakers finding their rhythm, many fans and basketball analysts believe they are still one player short of realizing their full potential. At the moment, the Lakers are taking a patient approach and aren’t actively seeking a trade. Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from linking certain players to the team.
Alex Caruso, currently with the Chicago Bulls, is one name frequently mentioned in Lakers discussions. His reputation as a defensive savant, combined with his instrumental role in the Lakers’ 2020 championship run, makes him a likely and welcome addition should he be considered for a trade.
With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz recently outlined what a trade for Caruso would entail for the Lakers and explained why it would be a good move for the team.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Alex Caruso, F Torrey Craig
Chicago Bulls Receive: PG Gabe Vincent, SG Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2024 second-round pick
The Lakers should indeed be making a phone call to Chicago, just not for Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan.
Caruso would be a perfect fit with this current group in L.A., one that ranks near the bottom of the NBA in nearly every three-point shooting category.
The 29-year-old Caruso is connecting on 47.7 percent of his threes this season, good for fourth-highest in the NBA. The Lakers, on the other hand, rank dead last in made threes per game (9.9) and 29th overall in efficiency (33.7 percent).
Backup point guard Gabe Vincent has been limited to just four games this season with left knee effusion, making the addition of Caruso even more important as an additional ball-handler alongside LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. Craig would be another three-and-D wing that could be plugged into the Lakers rotation.
