Report: West GMs Upset At Bulls For Trading Alex Caruso To Thunder

Former NBA player Will Perdue said Western Conference general managers are upset at the Chicago Bulls for trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The Bulls sent Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey. 

Western Conference GM’s upset over Caruso trade?🤬

Stacey and Will Perdue explain how they earned minutes under Phil Jackson🏀🔥

And why Zach Lavine and the Bulls should part ways👋🏼👋🏼

All discussed on our new episode of Gimme the Hot Sauce Podcast!⬇️🔥https://t.co/Y0ALU4sxqL pic.twitter.com/fJpb2zVMNa

— Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast (@gimmehotsauce21) August 6, 2024

The Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West this past season. Now they added one of the top defenders in the NBA.

It’s easy to see why West execs are mad at the Bulls, who didn’t acquire any draft picks from the Thunder in the Caruso-Giddey trade.

Caruso averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 2023-24 for the Bulls while shooting 46.8% overall, 40.8% from beyond the arc and 76.0% from the free-throw line. He will make $9.9 million next season. 

The 30-year-old Caruso has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks with the Los Angeles Lakers and Bulls. He helped the Lakers win the 2020 championship against the Miami Heat. 

According to NBA insider Will Gottlieb of CHGO Sports, the Bulls didn’t trade Caruso at the 2024 trade deadline because ownership had a “mandate” to push for the playoffs. Chicago is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago White Sox.

The Bulls missed the postseason in 2024, while Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round in six games. 

“According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bulls have received offers from multiple teams, consisting of multiple protected first-round picks,” Gottlieb wrote. “One of those deals included a pick in the top-10 of the 2024 Draft, the source said. The Golden State Warriors were among teams who made a strong offer for Caruso, multiple sources confirmed.

“Ultimately, they declined. Internally, the Bulls party line was that they would have to start searching for a Caruso replacement from the moment they traded him. That may have been fine in a rebuild, which lead executive Arturas Karnisovas admitted ownership supported.

“However, the source indicated that there was a mandate from the Reinsdorfs to fight for the Playoffs. That, no doubt, impacted the front office’s decision making when it came to pulling the trigger on any Caruso deal.”