Lakers Rumors: Examining Buzz on Alex Caruso, Isaiah Thomas and James Ennis

Over the last couple of weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers have dramatically overhauled their roster. LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain, but 2020-21 contributors like Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso are gone.

To fill out the roster, Los Angeles has added the likes of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Nunn and Wayne Ellington. While there's no guarantee that the new-look roster will be better than last year's edition, it will very much be different.

The Lakers probably aren't done making moves, and there are a couple of intriguing options still available. Here, we'll dive into the latest buzz surrounding those potential targets and look at one departed free agent who Los Angeles wasn't eager to lose.

Let's dig in.

Lakers Wanted to Bring Back Alex Caruso

Matt York/Associated Press

The Lakers were willing to move on from several of last year's roster pieces. Kuzma, Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were dealt in the Westbrook trade. In the case of Schroder, Los Angeles simply may not have been interested in keeping him.

According to ESPN's Jay Williams, the reported four-year, $84 million offer Schroder received from L.A. last season may not have actually happened.

In the case of Caruso, however, the Lakers did want to bring him back—but only at the right price.

"In the wake of my report about the Lakers not countering Alex Caruso’s four-year, $37 million offer from Chicago in free agency, a source with knowledge of the negotiations strongly refuted the inference that he wasn’t wanted back," The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote.

While Caruso never produced eye-popping numbers in Los Angeles—he averaged 6.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds last season—the Lakers clearly valued him as a role player. They simply didn't feel that he was worth $9.3 million annually.

Instead of throwing money at Caruso after he received an offer from the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers locked up 2019 second-round pick Talen Horton-Tucker with a three-year, $30.8 million deal.

Isaiah Thomas Could Be an Option

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The Lakers have room for another player on their roster, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, they have considered signing free-agent guard Isaiah Thomas.

"The Lakers, among various free-agent candidates they are still considering, have weighed the potential signing of Isaiah Thomas, league sources say," Stein tweeted.

Interest could be mutual, and at the very least, Thomas seems to like what the Lakers are building this offseason.

"I think they’re getting ready for that NBA championship run," Thomas said (h/t Jonathan Adams of Heavy). "The guys that they got on their team, they're playoff-ready. They've been in every situation possible."

While Thomas hasn't been an All-Star since the 2016-17 season and only appeared in three games last year, his offensive skills have not left him. Thomas recently scored 81 points in a game at the Crawsover Pro-Am in Seattle. That performance got the attention of James.

"Yessir Killa!! Keep going my G!" James tweeted.

Thomas and James briefly played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season. However, Thomas was traded to the Lakers after only 15 games. The following offseason, James made his departure for L.A.

James Ennis Mentioned as a Possible Target

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

While the Lakers could look to bolster their guard depth by picking up Thomas, adding a strong perimeter shooter could be a bigger priority. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Los Angeles may already have a player in mind.

"For the Lakers, wing depth is more important than a backup guard. James Ennis is a name that’s been mentioned for the Lakers," Stein wrote.

Adding a player like Ennis would make a lot of sense for the new-look roster. Having James and Davis on the interior should create open looks on the perimeter. The Lakers, though, opted against adding an elite spot-up shooter in Buddy Hield and instead traded for Westbrook.

A Hield trade was close.

"A deal to send Hield to the Lakers for [Montrezl] Harrell and [Kyle] Kuzma seemed all but certain, until it wasn't," The Athletic's Jason Jones wrote. " ... League sources said all the players involved in the much-discussed Lakers-Kings deal expected that trade to happen."

While Ennis isn't a high-volume scorer, he is a reliable shooter. Last season with the Orlando Magic, he shot 47.3 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from beyond the arc.