Bulls Turned Down The No. 13 Pick In The Draft From Kings For Alex Caruso

The Chicago Bulls dealt Alex Caruso to the OKC Thunder in a one-for-one trade where they acquired Josh Giddey. The Bulls had competing offers, with The Athletic reporting that the Sacramento Kings were in the Caruso sweepstakes and had offered the Bulls the No. 13 pick in the Draft.

“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.” 

If this was the best-competing offer the Bulls had, it really isn't a bad decision on their part. Giddey is a 21-year-old 6'8" point guard with three years of NBA experience while being a former lottery pick himself. He had a rough season last year, but there is so much room for growth in his game still.

The 2024 NBA Draft is weak and Giddey might just be a better prospect than anyone the Bulls could have drafted at No. 13. Giddey is still younger than some of the top prospects in the draft who'd be available in that range like Devin Carter or Zach Edey. Even potential top-10 pick Dalton Knecht is two years older than Giddey already.

Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists last season.

The deal works for now, but it can't be forgotten that the Bulls could have gotten a much bigger trade package if they decided to deal Caruso in February instead of waiting until now.

The Bulls Need To Pick A Direction

It's still unclear what the Bulls want to achieve this offseason. Trading Caruso isn't hard given the interested teams have had in him for the last year, but what about the trickier contracts on the roster? 

Zach LaVine has been on the trade block since last season and is also heavily rumored to join the Sacramento Kings. LaVine would be a great fit for the Kings, but he's entering the third year of a $215 million contract, the liability of which could hurt the Kings over the long term given LaVine's spotty injury history.

Nikola Vucevic averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds last season but doesn't have robust trade interest around him. The Bulls definitely could find a home for the former All-Star, but the three-year, $60 million extension they gave him last season makes it tricky.

DeMar DeRozan is a free agent and the team should let him walk to a contender instead of re-signing him. DeRozan probably would fetch more as salary with the Bulls than anywhere else, but his consistent production means the Bulls can't execute a rebuild with him on the roster. His 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists average will have to walk out the door this summer.

Lonzo Ball hasn't played in over two years, with his tenure in Chicago also expected to come to an end soon. 

The Bulls can't float in the middle with their imperfect cast of solid players who have become tricky to trade because of the contracts they gave them. Regardless of the cost, tearing this roster down to start from scratch with Giddey, Coby White, Patrick Williams, and other youngsters would be ideal.