After going undrafted, Alex Caruso spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. Caruso became a key glue guy in LA, helping the Lakers win the 2020 NBA Finals, but was still heavily underappreciated.
After four years in LA, Alex Caruso hit free agency and found a team that valued him for what he was worth: The Chicago Bulls. Caruso signed a four-year, $37 million deal with the Bulls, although his time in Chicago was much shorter than fans would have hoped.
After three seasons with the Bulls, Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey.
Giddey had a great debut season in Chicago, but Caruso’s impact in Oklahoma City has been unmatched. Caruso and the Thunder are now just four wins away from winning the championship after handily beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, and Caruso was a huge reason for that.
Lakers legend and Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson took to social media to share a message for Alex Caruso as he heads to the NBA Finals.
Via Earvin Magic Johnson: “Congratulations former Laker and NBA champion Alex Caruso who now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is headed to the NBA Finals!”
Caruso’s talent is much more appreciated on a team like the Thunder, as his defensive capabilities were slightly wasted on a Bulls team that was not competing for a championship. Caruso is the ideal guard to have on a championship-caliber team, especially a defensive-minded one like Oklahoma City.
Bulls fans certainly hope they could have held onto Caruso for longer, or at least gotten more from the trade for him, but everything is working out great for the 31-year-old guard.
