Alex Caruso garnering trade interest from two suitors originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Alex Caruso is garnering trade interest from other teams, and some are checking in with the Bulls about his status on the trade market, sources told NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson.
The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are viewed as potential suitors.
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MORE: Bulls mailbag: Will management trade Caruso, Big 3?
Caruso is by far the Bulls' best defender and is viewed as one of the best backcourt stoppers in the NBA. The veteran defender currently ranks second in the league in the defensive box plus/minus, holding a 3.4 rating second to Nikola Jokic. He also lands 18th in defensive rating this season (110).
Not only can he guard the perimeter with ferocity, but he also showed his ability to help defend the frontcourt plenty last season, while maintaining a knack for creating havoc with his hands.
For these rare qualities, the Bulls believe they can retrieve two first-round picks from a potential suitor, according to Jake Fischer via his podcast "Please Don't Aggregate This."
The NBA trade deadline is officially less than two weeks away, so the Bulls will have to act quickly if they decide to execute a trade with Caruso.
The team has recently suffered pain-staking losses to the Indiana Pacers – a game they once led by 21 points – and the Charlotte Hornets, who have the worst home record in the NBA this season.
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While the aforementioned evidence poses a form of recency bias, the Bulls' seventh-worst overall record forces some to believe the time has come to start retooling the roster.
Caruso might be the first step in that process.
