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After an 11-game absence, Stephen Curry was finally back for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. And while he looked rusty in the effort, hitting just 8-of-22 shots and finishing with a team-worst plus/minus score of minus-19, his return nonetheless alters the Dubs’ trajectory in the most positive of ways.
Having said that, the club could probably still use some help at the point guard spot, even as Steph resumes eating up 34-plus minutes nightly at the position. After all, you probably don’t want Donte DiVincenzo or Jordan Poole acting as floor generals more than they have to and the upstart Ty Jerome is only on a two-way deal.
To that end, one player who could potentially step into the backup point role –and one who has been frequently namechecked as a possible trade target — is Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls.
If one league insider is to be believed, however, Caruso may not be all the available, even as the sub-.500 Bulls are undoubtedly working the phones.
Scotto: Chicago Bulls Aren’t Actively Shopping Alex Caruso
On the January 12 episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, league insider Michael Scotto and NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson did a deep dive on the Windy City crew’s situation with less than a month remaining until the NBA trade deadline. And, according to the former’s intel, Caruso might not be available.
“From what I’ve heard from executives, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso are not for sale right now in Chicago,” reported Scotto. Nevertheless, he did indicate that Caruso would be a player worth dealing in the event that Bulls decision-makers Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley felt so inclined.
“If they want to shake up their team, they can get a decent return on Caruso.”
There’s little doubt that the Warriors could make a competitive offer for Caruso, and he seems like a natural fit for them, too. Caruso is averaging 5.3 points, 3.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season. He’s also connecting on an impressive 39.5% of his triples as of this writing and, according to Monte Poole, shooting is something the Dubs would like to add if they can.
Caruso’s defense would also be a valuable addition to the Warriors’ cause. Right now, Golden State ranks just 21st league-wide with a D-rating of 113.4.
The Situation May Be Fluid
Back in December, a league GM told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that a quality young player and/or draft asset could be enough to force Chicago’s dealing hand where Caruso is concerned. Not only that — the exec went so far as to mention Golden State as a potential landing spot in a swap for one of the team’s prospects.
“If [the Bulls] can get some draft capital back for Caruso, and maybe a player, that would suit them. Teams like Phoenix or Miami, both would be in a position to make a trade like that,” the GM told Deveney.
“Even the Warriors, they could send out a young guy, a guy like [James] Wiseman to get into win-now mode.”
For the record, Wiseman and Caruso’s near-matching salaries — both of which are in the $9-plus million range — would make executing such a trade a cinch from a cap/tax standpoint.
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