Mavs Trade for Alex Caruso? Media Proposal Moves Bulls G to Dallas
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of work to do this offseason to build a championship contender, let alone a playoff team, to appease superstar Luka Doncic. One gaping hole for Dallas is the lack of quality defenders, both on the perimeter and at the rim.
After sending Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade, the Mavs' defense took a hit, which was already in the bottom third of the league. In a lineup that contains Doncic and Irving, it's important that the other three starters, or clutch lineup, has above-average defenders that can make up for the below-average defense from their stars.
In end-of-season interviews, Mavs GM Nico Harrison spoke on the importance for Dallas to improve their defense this off-season. "I think for us going into the offseason, the two biggest things that we need to work on is defense and rebounding," Harrison said. "That's going to be addressed."
In a recently proposed trade from Bleacher Report, Dallas lands Bulls guard Alex Caruso for veteran forward Reggie Bullock and the Mavericks' 2023 first-round pick. Now, that trade depends on Dallas retaining their top-10 protected pick
For Dallas, landing Caruso gives Jason Kidd and the Mavs a defensive genius on the perimeter. Caruso's ability to defend the ball while also guarding several positions would help Dallas' defense immensely. Caruso's overall IQ is top notch on both sides of the ball with versatility on offense as a career 37 percent 3-point shooter.
As for Chicago, this mock trade is based on the Bulls blowing up their roster and starting a rebuild. In that case, the Bulls would likely let center Nikola Vucevic walk in free agency and field calls for All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Now, if Chicago plans to run it back next season in hopes of a playoff spot, trading away a player like Caruso makes little sense.
"We just didn't have players that were committed to it," Harrison said during exit interviews. "I think defense is not just one person – it's a team thing." If you're looking for committed defense players, Caruso should be near the top of the list. Depending on what Chicago's plans are for this summer, checking on Caruso's trade status wouldn't hurt for Dallas.
With that said, is Caruso worth a top-10 pick? Granted, this trade would certainly only be for the No. 10 pick. If Dallas jumped into the top-4, we're having a completely different conversation. As impactful as Caruso is, a top-10 pick is quite the ask.
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