Getty Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors coach.
There are multiple factors that would have to fall into place before any major Golden State Warriors trade went down in the NBA. First, the Dubs would need to continue their uneven play, putting pressure on GM Mike Dunleavy and coach Steve Kerr to shake things up. Second, they would have to be willing to write off their best trade chip, Jonathan Kuminga, as a short-term contributor. Finally, the Bulls would have to make Alex Caruso available.
Because who would be a better fit, really, for a Warriors trade as the team is currently constructed than Alex Caruso?
That’s the thought at Bleacher Report, which examined three “Golden State Warriors trade targets” this week at the site (Alec Burks and Pascal Siakam were the others). Here’s what analyst Zack Buckley wrote:
“If there are big fans of Moses Moody or Jonathan Kuminga in Chicago’s front office, though, Golden State might have enough to get a deal done. That maybe sounds like a steep price for a 29-year-old role player, but Caruso is one of those players who can star in his role. His defense is elite (All-Defensive first team last season), and his offensive versatility allows him to check an impressive number of boxes.”
Do the Golden State Warriors Have the Pieces?
Now, one hindrance to a Golden State Warriors trade for Alex Caruso would be the possibility that others with more attractive pieces are willing to get into a battle for Caruso, should the Bulls be willing to move him. He is in the third year of the four-year, $37 million contract the Bulls gave him in 2021, with only $3 million guaranteed for next season.
“The only question is whether they have enough trade chips to win what could be an aggressive bidding war,” Buckley wrote.
That is in line with our reporting here at Heavy Sports. One league executive said this month that Caruso figures to be the most attractive asset on the Bulls roster.
Yes, he is a 29-year-old role player, but he has playoff experience (he helped the Lakers to the bubble championship in the 2020 NBA Finals), he is a top-tier defender and he can play point guard. Caruso is averaging 10.0 points on 56.3% shooting, with 47.9% 3-point shooting.
“Coveted is a good word for him. If you want to make a trade tomorrow they could trade Alex Caruso,” the executive told Heavy Sports. “Half the teams in the league would be there with an offer. There’s a lot of teams monitoring that situation and they’re looking at Caruso more than anyone on that roster. Just a matter of when the Bulls are ready to make changes and ready to let him go.”
Alex Caruso Would Join a Backcourt Crowd
The Warriors do have a crowd in the backcourt, with the addition of Chris Paul. But indications are that the ultra-small Warriors could be willing to lean into their lack of size and begin to play more pure smallball. That would allow the relatively slight (6-foot-5, 186 pounds) Caruso to play small forward more, something he rarely does.
Financially, Alex Caruso is a difficult guy for the Warriors to fit, just because of the matching trade chips they’d have to send back to take on his $9.4 million 2023-24 salary. They could deal Kuminga, but would need to send out more, too, like Cory Joseph and either Dario Saric or Tracye Jackson-Davis, to make the money work.
That would be too much. Adding a third team could give the Warriors other options, or the Dubs could seek to send out oft-injured Gary Payton II and a draft pick to get a deal done. That would, at least, ease the backcourt logjam.
Either way, it is a longshot, but there is some sense to a Golden State Warriors trade for Caruso.