Chicago Bulls trade Alex Caruso to the Indiana Pacers for Jarace Walker and Isaiah Jackson: Intriguing
Bleacher Report recently had two proposed trades involving Alex Caruso, one which made me stop and think and one which immediately seemed bad for the Bulls.
This trade is interesting, as it sends Caruso to the Pacers in exchange for two young players who have yet to do much in the NBA. Walker (who was the 8th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft), was limited due to injuries and competition at the position, where the Pacers were loaded.
Walker is an athletic 6-foot-8 forward with a big wingspan who can defend all over the place and should be able to shoot the 3-ball. He did hit 40 percent of his long-range shots this season in limited action in 33 games.
He’s only 20, so he’d be a project player for the Bulls who is still on a rookie deal and has upside, which could allow them to get a cheaper (and possibly better) version of Patrick Williams without having to get in a bidding war in free agency.
Isaiah Jackson is another project big who has shown some promise. He mostly dunks, fouls and blocks shots, as he averaged over a block per game in just 13 minutes this season. He’s a cheap backup big man who could potentially replace Andre Drummond.
The Bulls at least get to take a flier on young, cheap players with upside at positions of need, so I would label this idea as intriguing, especially if Indiana added a pick of some kind.