Sports
NBA Trade Rumors: Bulls 'Flat-Out Resistant to Dealing Alex Caruso' amid LaVine Buzz – Bleacher Report
The Chicago Bulls don’t want to make the same mistake the Los Angeles Lakers did when it comes to letting Alex Caruso get away.
While the Bulls are open to trading Zach LaVine, the franchise is “flat-out resistant” to moving Caruso ahead of the February trade deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The Bulls are in the midst of a highly disappointing season, sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 10-16 record, and the franchise is on the verge of a full-scale rebuild.
Caruso, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have been the headliners in trade rumors coming out of Chicago this winter. And while the Bulls are expected to move on from LaVine at some point, the franchise has “shut down” trade calls for Caruso despite a “bevy of teams” having expressed interest in acquiring him, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday.
Caruso has been a valuable asset over his seven-year career and he has excelled as a glue guy for Chicago since arriving ahead of the 2021-22 season. He’s a strong defender who also has offensive capability, and he’s in the midst of one of his best seasons in the NBA despite the Bulls’ struggles.
The 29-year-old is averaging 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 21 games while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 47.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Chicago’s hesitance to move on from Caruso, who is under contract through the 2024-25 season, isn’t necessarily a surprise after his departure from the Lakers in free agency three years ago essentially crippled the franchise.
The majority of reports coming out of Los Angeles involving Caruso since his departure state that the Purple and Gold wish he never left. An Eastern Conference executive even told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com last month that the Lakers “regretted letting him go almost immediately after it happened.”
The Lakers also appear to be interested in bringing Caruso back to Los Angeles this season.
“They knew that was a mistake,” the executive added. “He’s not the same player now, but the Lakers are worried they don’t have enough of an edge. He could be someone who helps fix that.”
Considering the Bulls have no intention of moving on from the veteran point guard this winter, any offer to move him would likely have to blow the franchise away.
