The Chicago Bulls had Alex Caruso. They traded him for Josh Giddey. But now, slowly but surely, Caruso is making that trade look foolish. Giddey is a solid player. He could be a part of what the Bulls look to build moving forward. But Caruso is a heavy-minutes player on a championship team. That takes the cake.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Caruso was one of the best players on the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite their loss. The San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, took home the win, but Caruso was amazing. And he made the Bulls’ trade look even worse than it looked at the time.
No matter how good Giddey is, the Bulls still should have gotten more back in the deal.
Alex Caruso keeps making his Bulls trade look worse
Caruso is a super role player. One of the best in the league. An elite, versatile defender and, despite his inconsistencies, a capable player on the offensive end of the court.
That much was clear when he was still in Chicago. He was already an All-Defensive guy, and at that point, it even looked like his three-point shot could come around.
Yet the Bulls waited to trade him. They waited, and waited, and waited. And when it finally came time to get a deal done, all they got back in return for Caruso was Giddey.
Now, Giddey looks like a promising young player. He’s a triple-double machine, and he’s had some great moments for the Bulls. But he’s not a good defender, he can’t shoot that well, and there seems to be a clear ceiling on who he is as a player.
The Bulls could have probably gotten multiple first-rounders back in a Caruso deal. They could have traded him earlier in his contract and gotten back value that would help them build their next playoff-caliber roster.
But they traded him for Giddey in a one-for-one deal. Because they waited too long. And now, every time Caryso has a monster game in OKC, he makes that trade look even worse.
In Game 1 against the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, Caruso put up 31 points, two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block while shooting a ridiculous 11-of-19 from the field and 8-of-14 from deep range.
He played 31:40 off the bench and was one of OKC’s primary defenders on the 7-foot-5 Wembanyama.
His value stretches well beyond what the Bulls got back for him in that trade.
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