The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an up-and-down start to the season, but their long-term plan has not changed. Hindered by multiple injuries to key players the Cavs wobbled to a 2-4 start, but a strong victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday evening showed how dangerous this team will be at full strength.
As the Cavaliers look at the rest of the season, therefore, they are planning to contend. As they consider potential changes to the roster, they will do so with an eye on improving their team’s playoff rotation. In trade parlance, they are “buyers” over the next few months leading to the Trade Deadline.
Another Central Division team got off to a similarly shaky 2-4 start, although they didn’t have the get-right bounceback that Cleveland did and now sit at 2-5. In contrast to the Cavaliers, however, the Bulls have been bad while fully healthy, with their top 9 players each playing in every game this season. They sat at just 27th in this week’s NBA Power Rankings.
The Bulls have steadfastly refused to consider a rebuild over the past few seasons, in part influenced by owing first-round picks to the Orlando Magic from the Nikola Vucevic trade. At some point, however, this organization will need to face the music; they aren’t going to contend in the Eastern Conference with this core.
Perhaps that leads them to move one of their expensive veterans, be that DeMar DeRozan or Nikola Vecevic. Perhaps they blow it all up, finding a new home for Zach LaVine as well, tearing their roster down to the studs and looking to rebuild through the draft.
At the very least, however, the Bulls should look to turn their veteran role players into assets, whether they look to retool or rebuild. Those players are of much more value to a team trying to win than to the Bulls, who shouldn’t expect more than a push for the Play-In Tournament this season.
How do the Cavaliers come in? They aren’t going to be making an offer for DeRozan or LaVine, players too duplicative with the All-Star backcourt already in place and too expensive to be acquired without a massive roster overhaul.
Yet there are a couple of support players on the Bulls that the Cavaliers should absolutely be interested in. Perhaps Torrey Craig could fill out their depth at forward, or Jevon Carter could slot into the backcourt. The most tantalizing prospect, however, would be adding Alex Caruso.
The 29-year-old, 6’4″ point guard broke out as a role player alongside LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, then signed a free agent contract with the Bulls in the summer of 2021. He has been a low-usage, high-impact player for the Bulls over the past 2+ seasons, establishing himself as one of the best defensive guards in the league and serving as the rare guard who can elevate his team’s defense despite questionable help behind him.
Caruso led the league in steal rate last season at 3.0 percent, swiping 2.2 bags per 36 minutes. He also served as a solid weakside rim protector, ranking second in the league among all players 6’4″ or shorter in block percentage (minimum 200 minutes played) at 2.8 percent. He is one of the league’s best full-court on-ball defenders, he stays glued to his man when moving off-ball, and his help defense at the nail is right there with Jrue Holiday as the best in the league.
The Cavaliers have a player in Isaac Okoro who can duplicate much of what Caruso brings, but he is both heading for free agency and has been an offensive liability due to his shooting concerns. Caruso isn’t exactly a better shooter, but he finds a way to make an impact on offense even without shooting. And just because Okoro can replicate some of what Caruso brings doesn’t mean he’s the same level of defender, and the step or two higher that Caruso is in each area over Okoro can be game-changing.
Caruso also brings some ball-handling ability that Okoro doesn’t, allowing the Cavs to build in some redundancy at point guard to shore up their limited depth, an issue that has already plagued them this season. He can serve as the backup point guard to Darius Garland, playing minutes alongside Donovan Mitchell and taking on the most difficult backcourt assignments.
The question for Caruso is more a question of price than of value to the Cavaliers. Will the Bulls entertain offers for less than a first-round pick? The Cavs can offer matching salary in the form of Okoro, Dean Wade or Ricky Rubio (or Caris LeVert if they want to make it into a larger deal) and a handful of second-round picks. Does, say, Isaac Okoro, Sam Merrill and tow second-round picks get it done?
The Bulls will certainly hope for a first-round pick from another team, and their reticence to break up their team will likely require a larger offer to convince them. The Cavs will need Chicago to change its mindset into a seller by the Trade Deadline, opening up the possibility for the Cavs to win the bidding when other teams look elsewhere.
If the Bulls continue their poor start, that mindset could change more quickly, and the Cavaliers could strike before other contenders are ready to make such a move. That window could be the opportunity Cleveland needs to upgrade both its defense and point guard depth in one move, without truly sacrificing size or salary flexibility. Caruso is also under contract next season for just $9.89 million, a bargain and a number easily folded into Cleveland’s cap sheet for next year.
Alex Caruso is not a perfect fit; he is a poor shooter and he has struggled with injuries frequently over the past few seasons. He is also a proven playoff performer, defensive game-changer and solid veteran presence who would make the Cavs a better team.
If the Bulls’ ineptitude opens up a window for the Cavaliers to strike, they should strongly consider reaching through that window and getting a deal done.