The Chicago Bulls are “hesitant” to trade Alex Caruso, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Johnson talked about Caruso in his latest Bulls mailbag.
“All I can say is I’ve reported they’ve been hesitant to do so to this point,” Johnson wrote. “Now, that obviously can change between now and the Feb. 8 deadline. And there likely will be solid offers for Caruso, who is the perfect over-the-top piece for championship contending teams. There’s also a scenario in which, in order to trade LaVine, Caruso may have to be included. But Caruso is arguably this regime’s greatest success story and he is the perfect embodiment of the culture the franchise wants to project. Trading him would be painful for this management team; I can assure you that.”
Caruso is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He’s also a quality offensive player who can hit timely shots.
Several playoff teams are interested in acquiring Caruso from the Bulls, but it looks like Chicago wants to keep the former Los Angeles Lakers guard.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls Updates
Caruso is averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on the season for the Bulls while shooting 54.2% from the field, 47.8% from beyond the arc and 77.4% from the free-throw line.
The Bulls are 8-14 on the season. They are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. During an interview with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Caruso was asked if the team needs a “shakeup.”
“I don’t know,” Caruso said. “A ‘shakeup’ is so general, too. Like I said, if we win those couple of close games early in the year, who knows how we feel about this and what the questions are that we’re even talking about right now. So a shakeup, I don’t know. Kind of like you said, you kind of got to be an internal optimist with professional sports, especially basketball. You play so many games. And we’re not even 20 percent of the way through the season.
“I don’t know if shakeup is the right word for it. But definitely just some changes to our daily routine and changes to our daily habits. Like I said, consistency’s been something we’ve talked about. We have to change that from within.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls Updates
The Lakers want to acquire Caruso from the Bulls, sources told NBA Analysis Network. It will be interesting to see if Chicago keeps or trades the All-NBA defender.
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