Bulls Rejected Trade Haul Including NBA Champion for $81 Million Fan Favorite

Getty

Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas speaks to the media during Chicago Bulls Media Day.

The Chicago Bulls have faced criticism for their roster-building methods, and that is unlikely to change after new details have emerged about the Alex Caruso trade.

Trading Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey was one of their biggest moves during the 2024 offseason. However, they received criticism for not extracting draft capital in the deal from the pick-rich Thunder.

That criticism was well-founded in that regard with other offers featuring picks and players.

“Golden State, as one recent example, offered multiple first-round draft picks for Caruso at last February’s trade deadline and was even willing to part with Moses Moody, along with other players, sources said, in a trade construction that could have also landed Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond with Golden State. That’s the same Moody, of course, who came to terms with the Warriors on a Caruso-esque contract extension in October: $39 million over three years,” Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on December 20.

“The Warriors, again, were by no means alone in their determination to pry Caruso from the Bulls. Sacramento offered the No. 13 pick and more before this past June’s draft. Houston loved Caruso. Philadelphia loved Caruso. Memphis, sources said, once proposed multiple first-round picks before the Grizzlies sent out a similar amount of draft capital to acquire Marcus Smart.”

Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas defended the trade, noting Giddey was their target.

CHGO’s Will Gottlieb reported the Bulls rejected an offer from the Warriors in the summer. He did not name Moody, who won a title with the Warriors in 2022, though.

Bulls Rejected Multiple Offers to Trade Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey

“The Bulls took calls on Caruso, but never made them,” Gottlieb wrote in June. “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. The Golden State Warriors were among teams who made a strong offer for Caruso, multiple sources confirmed.

“Ultimately, they declined.”

Alex Caruso doing Alex Caruso things.

The Warriors’ interest in Caruso, who signed a four-year, $81 million extension with the Thunder, is well-documented. A report from The Athletic also revealed the Bulls also rejected an offer from the Kings that would have landed them a lottery pick in the summer.

“The Kings already tried to use it for a significant roster upgrade. They were close to a trade for defensive ace Alex Caruso last week, according to league sources, offering the No. 13 pick to Chicago as the key chip,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater wrote on June 24. “The Bulls, to the surprise of many within the league, instead opted to send Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey.”

Bulls Exec Looking to Make Up for Missed Opportunity

The Bulls will already owe their 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs if it is not in the top-10. Karnisovas’ decision to trade Caruso for Giddey 1-for-1 has left the Bulls trying to play catch-up in their other potential dealings. It has hurt their prospects of finding a trade partner.

“After failing to extract any draft compensation from Oklahoma City in its Alex Caruso-for-Josh Giddey swap in June, Chicago is said to be seeking a first-round pick to part with center Nikola Vučević,” Fischer and Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on December 14. “Do the Bulls have the resolve to hold out for a first-rounder?”

Giddey’s play this season has made the trade look worse.

OKC sits atop the Western Conference standings entering play on Christmas Eve while the Bulls are ninth in the East.

Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter