Positive and negative value + 40! The highest in the game in the tiebreak! The Lakers really shouldn t let Caruso go

On May 19, the Nuggets defeated the Thunder 93-125 away, lost the tiebreaker and missed the Western Conference Finals. Thunder guard Caruso played for 26 minutes, made 5 of 7 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, scored 11 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 0 mistakes, plus or minus value + 40 highest in the game. Caruso switched to Jokic many times during the game, but also restricted Murray.

Lakers team reporter Trevor Lane wrote after the game: "It was unreasonable for the Lakers to let Caruso go. As time goes by, the Lakers' decision only looks worse and worse!" This year's playoffs, Caruso averaged +9.6 per game, ranking fourth in the league. So the question is: How did the Lakers lose Caruso?

After the free market started in the 2021 offseason, the Lakers gave Caruso a renewal offer: $14 million in two years, with an average of 7 million per year. Caruso talked to the Lakers management twice and expressed that he really wanted to stay in the team. But Caruso wants to pay more or extend the contract period, such as 20 million in 2 years or 28 million in 4 years!

Caruso has no shortage of next players in the free market. After getting the Bulls' offer, he did not sign it as soon as possible. He flew back to Los Angeles from Chicago and found the Lakers management again. The Lakers still say the same thing: only give a short contract for two years, 7 million yuan a year, and they like to sign or not. On August 3, 2021, Caruso joined the Bulls for 4 years with a $37 million USD.

One day later, on August 4, 2021, the Lakers renewed their contract with Horton Tucker for 32 million yuan for three years. Between Tucker and Caruso, the Lakers made the wrong choice. Let’s take a look at the current situation of the two: In December 2024, the Thunder renewed Caruso for 4 years and $81 million, and Tucker’s contract with the Bulls this season is just an unsecured contract.

The entire league knows Caruso's value, except for the Lakers. In the 2016-17 season, Caruso played for the Oklahoma City Blues, a subsidiary of the Thunder. At that time, the head coach of the Blues was the current Thunder coach Dagnott. With the strong recommendation of Degenot, in the summer of 2024, Thunder traded 1 for 1, and exchanged Gidey for Caruso.

This year's playoffs, Caruso averaged 22.5 minutes per game, scoring 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.7 turnovers. The shooting percentage of three events: 45.6%, 41.7%, and 66.7%. The Lakers can no longer afford it!