NBA Trade Rumors: Bulls' Alex Caruso Drawing 'Strong' Interest from Playoff Teams

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso appears to be one of the hottest players in NBA trade circles this winter.

Caruso is drawing "strong interest" from several playoff teams ahead of the league's Feb. 8 deadline, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe.

"It wouldn't shock me if the Bulls ended up with two protected first-round picks if they ginned up a trade war for Caruso," Lowe wrote.

However, Lowe cautioned on his podcast that the Bulls aren't eager to move on from the coveted guard.

"I just keep hearing from teams all over the league, 'Everybody wants Caruso, so many teams want to engage the Bulls on Caruso,'" Lowe said. "They keep telling me the Bulls aren't trading Caruso. They want to stay in the play-in race. They want to stay where they are. They're telling us they don't want to trade Caruso."

While the franchise is reportedly open to trading Zach LaVine, NBA insider Marc Stein reported in December that Chicago is "flat-out resistant" to moving Caruso, who is under contract through the 2024-25 season, this winter.

That said, some have argued that the Bulls should capitalize on the opportunity to trade the veteran guard, who could generate a solid return, considering he could leave in free agency in the not-too-distant future.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported last month that the Bulls "would need multiple first-round picks to even consider" trading Caruso this winter.

Caruso is viewed as a valuable asset given his ability to excel on both ends of the floor. The 29-year-old is averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 42 games while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from deep.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been considered a potential landing spot for Caruso as the franchise aims to bolster its defense in the post-Adrian Griffin era. While Milwaukee's defense has improved since Doc Rivers took over as head coach, they still rank 19th in the league with a 116.4 defensive rating.

However, it's unclear if the Bucks would be willing to part ways with multiple first-round picks to bring Caruso in, especially after trading selections in the Damian Lillard deal.

With the deadline right around the corner, only time will tell if Caruso finds himself contending for a title or just fighting to keep the Bulls afloat in the Eastern Conference.