The major failure of the LA Lakers over the past five years has been their inability to follow up their 2020 NBA title success.
LeBron James won the NBA Championship in 2020 in the Bubble when the partnership with Anthony Davis hit it off instantly.
But as the past five years showed, the Lakers’ success was about far more than the star duo, it came because they had the right mix around them.
The Lakers finally moved on from Anthony Davis in February 2025, trading him away to acquire Luka Doncic in a deal that stunned the basketball world.
LA Lakers fans miss Alex Caruso ‘more’
At the moment Anthony Davis is out of sight and out of mind for the LA Lakers, with the Dallas Mavericks’ season ending in the Play-In Tournament.
But a teammate of Davis and LeBron James is currently thriving on the Oklahoma City Thunder, Alex Caruso.
Caruso played a key role in helping the Thunder to victory over the Nuggets in the past round, helping to limit Nikola Jokic, a player who has devastated the Lakers in past playoff series.
Speaking on the Lakeshow podcast, Lakers reporter Mike Bresnahan says he feels like fans currently miss the defensive star more than Anthony Davis.
“I feel like fans are more upset about losing him than Anthony Davis,” he said.
“And of course, you got some pretty good return on the on the AD investment. That’s, I think that’s the obvious part of it, yeah, but I mean, AD is one of the best shot blockers, rebounders, good range too in the last 20 years in the NBA.”
“Caruso, part time starter, mostly coming off the bench since joining OKC. And Lakers fans just go apoplectic if you bring up his name.”
Lakers fans took to social media during the playoffs to highlight Caruso’s play, claiming they would ‘never forgive’ the front office for letting him walk.
LA Lakers backed younger talent, wrongly
The LA Lakers allowed Alex Caruso to walk out as a free agent in 2021, where he went on to join the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers put their money towards a younger player instead, committing to Talen Horton-Tucker.
But such is the haphazard year-to-year way the Lakers have conducted their business in recent seasons, Horter-Tucker was traded to the Utah Jazz a year later, and is currently on the Chicago Bulls.
Caruso was traded by the Bulls to OKC in a deal for Josh Giddey a year ago, and is making the most of his run with the West’s number one seed.
He is one of five former Lakers players currently competing in the NBA Conference Finals, earning praise for his ‘unbelievable’ performances.
And so for the Lakers to lose him without getting anything in return, the reason for upset is perfectly understandable.