The $37 Million Question

When Alex Caruso signed with Chicago for 4 years/$37 million in 2021, Lakers fans erupted. Not because it was an overpay—but because LA could have matched it for roughly the same tax hit they absorbed for Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker. As BR’s Eric Pincus noted: “They spent more on THT, Nunn and Beverley… This was purely about not valuing Caruso.”

The Data Doesn’t Lie

Let’s examine the numbers post-Caruso era (2021-2023):

• Defensive rating: Lakers dropped from 6th to 22nd
• Backcourt steals: Decreased by 1.7 per game
• Net rating with LeBron: +8.3 with Caruso vs +4.1 without

The advanced metrics screamed “keep him,” yet GM Rob Pelinka saw expendable role player energy where analytics saw elite connective tissue.

The Replacement Fallacy

LA’s front office bet on these alternatives instead:

1. THT ($32M/3yrs): -0.2 BPM last season
2. Patrick Beverley: Traded after 45 games
3. Kendrick Nunn: Missed entire first season

Meanwhile, Caruso became an All-Defensive selection while earning less than any of them annually.

A Pattern of Misvaluation

This fits the Lakers’ recent trend of misreading role player impact:

• Letting Julius Randle walk (2018)
• Trading Ivica Zubac for Mike Muscala (2019) becoming routine in a world where front offices treat defensive specialists like replaceable parts.