Now here’s an unlikely trade scenario for you: The Washington Wizards will decide to blow things up and go after Chicago Bulls defensive ace Alex Caruso before the NBA trade deadline hits.
In his February 3 column for Bleacher Report, analyst Dan Favale made one trade deadline prediction for every NBA team, and when it came for his thoughts on the Wizards, he listed several players he could see them going after, including Caruso: “The Washington Wizards emerge as a finalist, and potentially acquire, Alex Caruso, Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, D’Angelo Russell, Collin Sexton or Fred VanVleet,” Favale predicted, later narrowing that field down.
“I’d keep my eyes peeled on VanVleet and Conley and maaaybe Caruso, specifically. Regardless, my hunch is the Wizards will come pretty close, if not succeed, in … acquiring another guard who does two of score, playmake and defend.”
Alex Caruso Is Currently Sidelined With a Sprained Ankle
Caruso sprained his right foot during Chicago’s 114-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on February 2, and he hasn’t played since. It’s the Bulls guard’s second ankle sprain of 2023, but he should be fine soon.
“Still having some discomfort, but not at the level it was after the game,” Donovan told CBS News about Caruso’s ankle on February 4, calling it a “day-to-day” injury.
The Bulls point guard is scoring 5.7 points, hauling in 3.0 rebounds and dishing out 3.3 assists in 24.1 minutes a game (stats via ESPN), but it’s his defensive acumen that makes him such a coveted player.
“The way he plays, he’s reckless. And I say that in a very complimentary way,” Donovan said about Caruso last October, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “He puts himself into the game, and he’s probably going to be susceptible to these types of things. We have to watch him. When he starts getting up in the 30-plus minutes over a period of time, I think that’s a big toll on him. Because generally his loads, even for his number of minutes, are high because of how much he exerts in a game.”
There’s no question the Wizards would be interested in Caruso at the right price, but the Bulls have set their asking price so high for Caruso, that some insiders have deemed him “untouchable.”
Caruso on Trade Rumors: ‘I Expect to Be Here’
“I fully expect to be here,” Caruso said about the trade rumors on February 2, per NBC Sports insider K.C. Johnson. “There’s literally nothing I can do. So the more time I spend worrying about it, the less time I have to worry about playing.”
Whether Favale is right and a team like the Wizards makes a bold play for Caruso, it may not matter, as it looks like the playmaking point guard is here to stay.
“I haven’t gotten any indication or any word or anything like that,” Caruso added. “The coaches still seem to like me. The front office seems to like me. The players like me. As long as things are the way they are, obviously I want to win some basketball games. That’s what I came here to do, what I want to do and what makes me happiest in sports.”
Comments
Bulls Rival Predicted to Go ‘All-In’ & Emerge in Alex Caruso Sweepstakes