Alex Caruso never wanted to leave the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers won the NBA championship in 2020 in the bubble, in large part due to Caruso’s defense and intensity.
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He loved LA and seemed destined to be a part of the purple and gold franchise for years to come.
However, that wasn’t the case.
The tenacious defender nicknamed the ‘White Mamba’ would only play one more season with LeBron James and the Lakers before leaving in free agency to the Chicago Bulls after the 2021 season.
By all accounts, Caruso wanted to remain in LA.
He never wanted to leave.
The White Mamba was a fan favorite and key cog to the roster constructed around James and Anthony Davis.
General manager Rob Pelinka decided not to re-sign Caruso, as the Bulls offered him a four-year, $37million contract.
The Lakers did not match. They didn’t even close.
Pelinka reportedly offered Caruso a deal much lower than Chicago’s.
The Lakers were over the salary cap and luxury tax at that point in time and didn’t have the wiggle room or space to give Caruso what he wanted, earned and deserved.
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Pelinka had prioritized other members of the roster before Caruso.
It was the Lakers’ loss and the Bulls’ gain.
But now it is the Oklahoma City Thunder who are reaping the reward for having Caruso on their roster.
The Thunder traded for Caruso last summer in hopes of taking their defense to another level, and it has paid off tremendously.
They gave Caruso a contract extension in December, to the tune of four years and $81m.
Fast forward six months later, the Thunder are just three wins away from taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
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And once again, Caruso is an integral member of a championship core.
The Lakers still haven’t quite recovered from letting Caruso walk, which has gone down as one of Pelinka’s bigger mistakes.
For Caruso though, he has firmly found a new home with the Thunder and has been phenomenal for them in his first year in OKC.
He has brought his championship experience to the young Thunder squad led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren.
The White Mamba is trying to once again capture the feeling of lifting the Larry O up in celebration.
And he’s knocking on the doorstep.