The Sacramento Kings were willing to trade their 2024 lottery selection in order for a win-now player, targeting defensive-minded Alex Caruso, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Sam Amick. However, rather than moving the 30-year-old for the 13th overall pick, the Chicago Bulls opted take 21-year-old playmaker Josh Giddey off the Oklahoma City Thunder’s hands. After the dust has settled, it’s unclear who won the trade, which may be evidence that it was an even exchange.
Still, with Bulls fans questioning the trade, it’s worth assessing what the team front office could be thinking.
“The Kings already tried to use it for a significant roster upgrade. They were close to a trade for defensive ace Alex Caruso last week, according to league sources, offering the No. 13 pick to Chicago as the key chip. The Bulls, to the surprise of many within the league, instead opted to send Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey.”
Frankly, the trade leaves more questions than answers.
Bulls Strike Out On Rare Chance With Alex Caruso Trade
While Chicago was looking for a starting-caliber guard throughout the 2023-24 season, Bulls guard Coby White was a finalist for the 2024 Most Improved Player of the Year award in large part due to the strides he made as a pick-and-roll passer. Furthermore, 26-year-old floor general Lonzo Ball believes he’s at 70 percent in his surgery recovery and could play today if needed. While both sides would obviously want him to get healthier before his return, it is possible that Ball looks much like he did before his knee injury.
With Chicago acquiring Giddey though, it now leaves doubt about their level of confidence in White or Ball.
The other obvious issue is that Caruso was the team’s best defender last season. Ayo Dosunmu’s defensive capabilities shined for the Bulls as well, his effort and lateral agility allowing him to stick with myriad scorers. That said, he’s now the sole rotation player they have that’s reliable in that area. If they re-sign DeMar DeRozan and fail to move Zach LaVine, they’re arguably in a worse position than they started.
If Giddey demonstrated more scoring upside, this trade might make more sense for Chicago. Then, his ineffective defense would be easier to ignore. However, with a career-high of 16.6 points per game, it’s fair to question if the defensive tradeoff was worth it.
The Cream of the Crop
If the Bulls took the No. 13 pick, they would have been in position to add some combination of a point guard, wing, forward, or center. As they could easily slot DeRozan at either forward or wing spot, this gives them options.
Hypothetically speaking, say they took G League Ignite forward Ron Holland with the No. 11 pick and USC guard Isaiah Collier with the No. 13 pick.
For one, this would have given them the top two high school recruits in the Class of 2023, with Collier ranking first in the nation. The two generated 35.8 points and 3.8 steals per game combined in 2023-24, both shooting at least 46 percent from the field. Collier shot over 36 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s.
They’re both flawed prospects. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be projected to be available in the back half of the lottery. However, they have a high floor and the kinks in their game can be worked out. Because of their defensive upside, Chicago may not have had to worry about trading Nikola Vučević.
This is to the Bulls’ benefit for two reasons.
The Vooch Conundrum
For one, as DeRozan and Vučević nearly led the Bulls to the 2024 NBA Playoffs without LaVine, Collier and Holland will be as additions more than anything else. Because of Holland’s defense in particular, even Caruso’s departure is easier to stomach.
Furthermore, with a better reputation and more manageable contract, Vučević’s trade value should be higher. Theoretically, he should be easier to move with several teams looking to make deal for a center. However, the market for the lead-footed big man appears to be even more thin than it is for LaVine.
Kings Still Wheeling to Deal?
With the Kings potentially interested in adding LaVine, there are deals that would allow them to improve their shooting corps.
Sacramento reportedly has Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes on trade block, as well as the No. 13 pick. It’s unclear whether they would be willing to move their lottery pick given LaVine’s large contract. They still may be able to incentivize the Kings to include it though, likely by offering a future first round pick.
