Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls came up short against the Miami Heat, falling 118-116 on December 16 and dropping them to 10-17 on the season and ensuring trade rumors will continue.
They’ve shown a lot of fight over their last eight games. But their record is what it is and they are already mired in speculation. That includes a new proposal from Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report involving the Golden State Warriors.
“Chicago is reportedly “shutting down” calls from teams interested in Alex Caruso, but it might have to rethink that stance if someone offered multiple first-rounders, as Golden State is here,” Bailey wrote on December 14. “The opportunity to unload Nikola Vučević‘s contract (he’s on the books for $41.5 million over the two seasons after this one) would have to be enticing, too.”
Bulls get:
– Chris Paul
– 2026 first-round pick
– 2028 first-round pick
Warriors get:
– Alex Caruso
– Nikola Vucevic
“Poor shooting aside, Chris Paul has actually been solid for the Golden State Warriors,” Bailey argued. “For Chicago, this is obviously mostly about the picks. It needs a reboot about as badly as any team in the league, and picks are critical at the opening stages of a reboot.”
Paul, 38, is a 12-time All-Star who has a history with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. Paul is averaging career-low marks with 9.0 points and 7.2 assists in under 27 minutes per game this season entering play on December 16.
His 34.7% mark from beyond the arc is the fourth-worst of his career.
He is in Year 3 of a four-year, $120 million contract. But the final season of the deal is non-guaranteed. So, while the draft picks would be a boost to the reboot, freeing up cap space can also be an asset, even if it’s only so they can bring back bad contracts with draft picks.
The picks in this proposal would be far enough out to potentially capitalize on a post-Stephen Curry Warriors squad but soon enough to avoid a potential rebound back to their championship ways.
Bulls ‘Rebuffed’ Trade Calls on Alex Caruso, Prioritized Nikola Vucevic
“Caruso … drew significant interest from multiple teams last season in advance of that trade deadline,” wrote NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson on December 15. “The Bulls rebuffed all suitors. At least for now, that stance remains unchanged. But stay tuned. This is a fluid season for the Bulls.”
Caruso, 29, is in the third year of a four-year, $36.9 million contract.
Vucevic, 32, re-signed this past offseason, inking a three-year, $60 million contract. Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said they made it a priority to bring the big man back into the fold.
Indeed the only player the Bulls are actively seeking to trade is Zach LaVine, though his market has been slow to develop.
Alex Caruso Injury Could Be Wake-Up Call for Bulls
Caruso made a career-high 67 appearances last season. He is on a similar pace this season, though he did miss the Bulls’ loss to Miami with an ankle injury. The 2023 First-Team All-Defensive star is enjoying a career year in points (9.3) and three-point efficiency (47.2% on 3.4 attempts per game).
There might not be a better time to extract value from his contract before he leaves after next season or, even worse, suffers a significant injury by the time they are ready to move on.
Caruso back tonight and already down after Nikola Vucevic steps on his foot
Johnson presented a scenario in which the Bulls had to include Caruso to trade LaVine. One in which they do the same to get off of Vucevic’s contract could also exist. All of it falls behind moving LaVine and that not working out either, though.