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NBA Trade Rumors: Ranking the Chicago Bulls' 4 best trade assets

The Chicago Bulls have gotten off to a disastrous start to the 2023-24 season. This is after an offseason where their front office decided to run it back with the same core players. Changes in the form of big trades could be coming in Chicago sooner rather than later.

By Manolis Olandezos

Zach LaVine may be on his way out of Chicago
Zach LaVine may be on his way out of Chicago / Justin Casterline/GettyImages
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Chicago Bulls' best trade assets: 2. Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso is arguably the most sought-after player on the Bulls roster. So why is he number two on this list? More on that in a minute.

Caruso’s trade value has never been higher. He is averaging a career-high 10.0 points per game. That’s being driven by his career-best 56.3% shooting including 48% from three-point range. The numbers on the back of Caruso’s basketball card only begin to share his value.

Caruso is one of the NBA’s top defensive players. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team First Team last season. This was despite only starting 36 games for the Bulls and playing an average of 23.5 minutes per game. He’s THAT good on the defensive end.

For those into advanced statistics, Caruso is currently 6th in the NBA in Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) this season. You could also just ask Kevin Durant how good Alex Caruso defends. KD sang Caruso’s praises after the two were matched earlier this season in Chicago.

Most importantly of all, Alex Caruso is a winning player. He’s a “glue guy” who makes hustle plays and sacrifices his game for the team’s success. I personally don’t want to see Alex Caruso get traded as a Bulls fan, but this team is going nowhere fast. He deserves to play for a contender.

Which teams would Alex Caruso fit with? Every basketball team in every league on Planet Earth.

Any contending team would benefit from adding Alex Caruso to their roster. The Milwaukee Bucks are struggling defensively on the perimeter and need to add a player like Caruso. AC’s game screams Miami Heat culture. The defending champion Denver Nuggets lack depth and Caruso would be a fit there too.

The Lakers are rumored to be interested in everyone, but a reunion with Alex Caruso would make sense for them. He won a championship there. I’m sure LeBron would love to have Caruso back in L.A.

What could the Bulls get back for Caruso? Probably not much. He “only” makes about $9.5 million and likely won’t provide a return of immense value since teams need to match salaries in NBA trades. If I’m Karnišovas and Eversley I don’t trade Alex Caruso unless I’m getting back a first-round pick in the deal.

For a front office that is apparently allergic to keeping first-round picks and hasn’t used them well when they have had them, getting a pick back in a package for Caruso would be huge.

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