Bulls Rumors: CHI Thinks It Can Get 2 1st-Round Picks in Alex Caruso Deadline Trade
With the NBA's Feb. 9 trade deadline looming, it appears to be a strong seller's market.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported on his Please Don't Aggregate This podcast (via HoopsHype) the Chicago Bulls believe Alex Caruso could yield two first-round picks in a trade.
Caruso is averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals through 42 appearances this season. He's also shooting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The Bulls believing they can get two first-rounders for Caruso and actually getting that kind of return are two different things. In negotiations, you always set a high bar on the first offer and work down from there.
Fischer's report could reflect Chicago's appetite—or lack thereof—to part with the 6'4" guard.
When healthy, Caruso was a key contributor for the Bulls last season as they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017. His importance has only grown this year with Lonzo Ball still out of action because of a lingering knee injury.
According to NBA.com, the team is 6.1 points per 100 possessions worse defensively when Caruso goes to the bench. Their 114.0 defensive rating without him would rank 21st in the NBA.
Chicago is 11th in the Eastern Conference at 22-26. It has the same record as the Washington Wizards, who occupy the final play-in tournament spot.
The Bulls' performance is leading many to wonder whether the front office should already tear down the roster, less than one year removed from that postseason trip.
Nikola Vučević is on an expiring contract, and DeMar DeRozan is due to be a free agent after next season. Re-signing one or both could lock the franchise in with a flawed roster that has a low ceiling. A rebuild would be painful but might provide a better long-term outlook.
NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson reported Chicago isn't expected to deal some combination of DeRozan, Vučević and Zach LaVine. People around the league believe executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas "wants to see the core he used plenty of draft capital to assemble play together."
As long as the Bulls are going to forge ahead with this core, trading Caruso doesn't make a lot of sense. He's a proven two-way guard on a reasonable contract. He'll make $9.5 million in 2023-24 and has a $9.9 million partially guaranteed salary for 2024-25.
That could be why the price tag for Caruso seems to be so high.
