One Big Mistake by The Lakers in 2021 NBA Free Agency Pinpointed

Did the Los Angeles Lakers make a mistake in the 2021 NBA free agency? Some say yes.

The franchise will enter the new season without some of the 2020 players. Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, Markieff Morris, and Dennis Schroder will no longer play with the Lakers. So, did LA really make a mistake?

Drummond signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Morris joined the Miami Heat, and Schroder signed with the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers re-signed Talen Horton-Tucker. They offered him a three-year deal worth $32 million.

Rob Pelinka was really active in the offseason. He made a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers brought Dwight Howard back and also signed Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, and Kendrick Nunn.

The Lakers to learn from their mistake from the 2021 free agency

So many transactions, but the Lakers didn’t keep Caruso. Why?

Caruso is a fan favorite and a cult legend. Lakers fans liked him a lot. I mean, he came all the way from the G-League to the NBA? Now he has a deal with the Bulls. A multi-million deal.

Caruso was a perfect fit for LeBron. He is one of the best passers in NBA history. AC was a real nightmare for players on opposing teams.

THT has better frame and age. However, Caruso is all-in when it comes to winning and had a big role with the 2020 team.

Caruso was an All-Defense candidate last season.

Brian Windhorst from ESPN reported that Caruso wanted to come back to LA for less than what the Bulls put on the table. Guess what… The Lakers didn’t want to keep him around.

“I think the Lakers looked at Alex Caruso and said ‘we’re happy for you, we really appreciate everything you’ve done, we wish we could keep you, but, you know’… He was willing to go back there at three years and $30 million Brian, he actually gave them that option, even at the end — it’s less than what he signed for in Chicago — but even that was more than they were willing to pay… That was as far as they were willing to go. They looked at Caruso and said ‘we can go to $7 million a year, but above that it gets too cost-prohibitive.”