What sounds better to you: playing for more money on a team with the fourth highest net rating in the NBA, or playing for less money on a team with the 18th highest net rating in the NBA? That's not a trick question, by the way.
The two mystery teams referenced above are the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively, and Alex Caruso's decision to go with the former this offseason sounds pretty easy in hindsight — granted, it's still early in the season, and no one knew this is how the start of the season would go for either squad. But reflecting on his choice to sign a multi-year deal with the Bulls this summer reveals that it wasn't as easy a decision for Caruso as one might think.
The Bulls' key bench piece discussed his time as a free agent entering the 2021-22 season with J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter, explaining that it was a new experience for him.
"...A guy that has not had a lot of decision-making power, fought for a job — essentially, 32 teams told me they didn't think I was good enough to play in the NBA for two years, three years — I need to get as much money (as possible)," Caruso said. "Like, this is real life we're talking about. I need to financially secure for me, for people."
Though Caruso couldn't find any teams interested in paying him at the mid-level, which he recalled to be around four years and $40 million, his agent informed him that the Bulls could go close to that number and would love to talk.
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"I didn't know that financially it was going to be able to work. I thought once Zo (Lonzo Ball) signed with Chicago, it was like, okay, Chicago's off the list," Caruso said. "...I got on the phone with AK (Arturas Karnisovas) and with Billy (Donovan) and the way they were just talking about how they wanted to play, how they saw me as a player, I thought they hit the nail on the head.
"I thought everything they said, I was like, I think that's accurate, I think that's what I bring to the table, I think that's how I can help the team win, I think that's the direction that this team wants to go, I thought there was a need for the stuff that I had."
It's worked out so far, with Caruso's stingy defense and awareness resulting in seven multi-steal games — including three with over four steals — in just 10 contests this season, as well as the Bulls allowing the fifth fewest points per game in the league. The Lakers' defense, quite simply, has been at the opposite end of the spectrum. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report spoke with a number of executives about the Lakers' decision to let Caruso go, and one Eastern Conference exec put it bluntly: "The Lakers boffed that one. I'm not sure what they were thinking."
What's more is that even after the great phone calls Caruso had with the Bulls, he still went back to the Lakers to give them a chance to negotiate, but they apparently didn't even come close — not even offering more than two years and $15 million.
"Essentially we got that offer, went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, said no," Caruso said. "Asked for something else that was a little less, said no. We said, okay, if that's what it comes to, I'm ready to go to Chicago and start the next chapter.
"It's been great, I think it's been a great decision for me."
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