Just because it’s the offseason doesn’t mean the Chicago Bulls can’t hurt us!
Thanks to Will Gottlieb of CHGO, we have a little more insight into the Bulls’ decision to sit out of yet another trade deadline this past season. Not only did the organization reportedly rebuff multiple legitimate offers for All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso, but the motive to▨ do so may have come from the very🍌 top.
Here is what Gottlieb shared:
“The Bulls took calls on Caruso, but never made them. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bulls have received offers from multiple teams, consisting of multiple protected first-round picks. One of those deals included a pick in the top-10 of the 2024 Draft, the source said. The Golden State Warriors were among teams who made a strong offer for Caruso, multiple sources confirmed
…
However, the source indicated that there was a mandate from the Reinsdorfs to fight for the Playoffs. That, no doubt, impacted the front office’s decision making when it came to pulling the trigger on any Caruso deal.”
First things first, make sure to read Gottlieb’s . He ties this into a great discussion about Alex Caruso’s extension eligibility, which is an underrated – but significant – storyline this summer.
Chicago Bulls
I wish this felt like a blindside, folks. We’ve known for almost a year that interest around the league in Alex Caruso was significant. He has long been the Chicago Bulls’ best trade chip, and his value arguably never felt higher than at this season’s trade deadline.
Indeed, as Gottlieb notes, the Bulls were reportedly offered MULTIPLE first-round picks for Caruso’s services. And this included a top 10 pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. We all know that the value of a lottery pick in this year’s class isn’t as valuable as it normally is, but a top 10 pick is still a top 10 pick! This is especially true for an organization that has missed the postseason in back-to-back years despite being built around a veteran core.
Securing an additional lottery pick as part of a trade for a luxury asset like Caruso feels like a no-brainer. The fact this organization doesn’t see it that way, however, only reinforces what we already know about this leadership! The franchise continues to prioritize short-term (and minimal success), with ownership reportedly being the driving force.
Frankly, that’s the much bigger piece of this report. Turning down multiple picks for Caruso is foolish and frustrating, but the fact the decision was made BECAUSE of ownership’s demands to push for the postseason is genuinely infuriating. What this tells us is that the car keys aren’t actually in the front office’s hand – despite what Arturas Karnisovas tries to convince reporters every time they sit down together.
“Yes. Ownership is supporting [me] in whatever we decide,” “Moving forward, whatever we decide to do with this. [A] competitive team in the Eastern Conference is what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Whether it be a refusal to g꧟o into the luxury tax or taking a step back competitively, Karnisovas has insisted that he has carte blanche to handle this team how he wants. The lack of practically any aggressiveness to re-design this roster has always suggested otherwise. And we now have a sourced report that makes that narrative even more believable.
With that in mind, it puts even more of a spotlight on Karnisovas’ vows to change this roster at his end-of-season press conference. Will the organization actually move forward with making meaningful change or will it continue to sprint on the treadmill of mediocrity?
If one thing is for sure, Alex Caruso’s future remains a key piece of the puzzle. The market for him should still be strong, and the Bulls will presumably have an option to right their trade deadline wrongs. If they end up trying to extend the 30-year-old guard, however, we likely have an answer about where ownership’s priorities rest.
We wrote a lot more on Alex Caruso earlier this offseason, so I encourage you to read that post here:
