After the Chicago Bulls failed to make the playoffs again last season, it’s easy to look back and say what they should have done.
Facing pending free agency, they probably should have traded DeMar DeRozan, which left them a tough decision to make this summer.
And according to one source, the Bulls also turned down a lucrative offer for Alex Caruso that could have changed the direction of the franchise.
Did the Chicago Bulls turn down a huge offer for Alex Caruso?
Will Gotlieb recently reported that sources within the Bulls claim Chicago had a fat offer on the table for Alex Caruso but chose to chase the playoffs instead.
“The Bulls took calls on Caruso, but never made them. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bulls have received offers from multiple teams, consisting of multiple protected first-round picks ahead of the 2024 Trade Deadline. One of those deals included a pick that ended up in the top-10 of the 2024 Draft, the source said. “
Looking at the top 10 of the Draft, it’s hard to imagine which team might have made that offer, as most of them were terrible and not trying to add a win-now veteran like Caruso.
I have no idea if this speculation is true, but what is true is that the Bulls definitely turned down offers for both Caruso and DeRozan and then didn’t make the playoffs anyway.
Turning down multiple draft picks, including a top-10 pick in this draft (if true) is a gamble that could have cost the Bulls a chance for a reset in a couple of different ways.
The Bulls missed a chance to add young talent to the pipeline
Let’s say the Bulls had taken that offer, there is a good chance they would now have multiple lottery picks heading into the 2024 NBA Draft.
Who knows, their own pick might be a few spots higher had they traded Caruso, but even if they stayed at 11, the Bulls would have more ammo in a draft where there could be late value given the uncertainty at the top.
The Bulls could have added two young players to a talent pipeline that is bereft of young talent.
They also could have potentially packaged the two picks together to trade up, which is something they are reportedly trying to do, but will find difficult given their lack of assets to attach.
Another pick makes it easier to trade Zach LaVine
The Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine want to part ways and that seems mutual.
But the Bulls are going to have a hard time finding a taker for that contract unless they attach some kind of asset or basically give him away for nothing.
Having an extra pick in the first round might have made that task easier, as a team like the Pistons might be willing to move off their top-5 pick if they were getting a later pick and LaVine in return.
The Bulls could now have the 5th and 10th picks in this draft and an extra $44 million in cap space to throw around, which is a haul they could reset with.
Instead, they did nothing and are now heading into the offseason with few ways to improve, only one draft pick to work with and pending free agents whose futures are unclear.
They took a gamble just to come up short anyway and it cost them the chance for the reboot fans have been hoping for.
