Surrounded by trophies and posters from his high school playing days and from nearby Texas A&M, where his parents, Jackie and Mike Caruso, worked as administrators, Caruso stayed in touch with his agent, Greg Lawrence. At 3 p.m. PT, when teams could begin negotiating with free agents, the Lakers placed their first call to Caruso and made their offer of $7 million a year. It was a quick conversation. Lawrence told the Lakers he and his client believed Caruso could do better.