Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Dwight Howard
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Alex Caruso, LAL 2023 2nd Round Pick
Dwight Howard and Alex Caruso were two key role players in the Lakers’ championship journey last season and each took on similar roles with the team. Both guys played physical defense and gave it their all in the second unit for the Lakers.
With Howard and JaVale McGee both gone this NBA season, the toughness they had in the frontcourt a season ago in Los Angeles seems to have vanished, at least on the defensive end of the court. Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell are not as tough defensively as the Lakers had hoped and as a result, has put all the defensive pressure on Anthony Davis, who is more than capable of being a fantastic defensive player, but the Lakers need him more on the offensive end of the court.
In 10 games with Philly this season, Howard has averaged 6.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks, but has only played an average of 14.7 minutes per game. He is getting very limited playing time for the 76ers this season and is even receiving less time than Tony Bradley!
While Philly does like the veteran leadership he brings to the table and having him as a great veteran player to have as an option behind Joel Embiid, adding Alex Caruso to their roster could be more beneficial in the long run as they look to maximize their talent and hunt for a title this season.
Alex Caruso is a younger player, but can help the Philadelphia 76ers backcourt a lot. He is not really a primary ball-handler, nor is he a great facilitator, but he does all the little things on the basketball court in order to help his team win.
Whether it is making the extra pass or playing great one-on-one defense, Caruso does everything on the court that does not necessarily show up in the stat sheets. He knows what it takes to win and being young himself, as he is only 26-years old, Alex Caruso could be a guy that the 76ers could keep around for a long time.
Getting players to surround Simmons and Embiid with on the perimeter was the main goal of the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason and since Howard has not held as big of a role as they had hoped early on, they may be willing to trade him if they were getting a guy like Caruso in return. Let’s take a closer look as to why exactly both teams would want to make this trade happen.
