Could a 6-4 guard who has started in only one-fifth of his career games and averaged under six points per game this year be one of the most pivotal pieces moved before the 2023 trade deadline?
That idea might seem absurd, but watch a few minutes of Alex Caruso's frenetic defense, and it starts to hold more weight.
Caruso is a playoff-tested former champion whose defense could help any contender, and that's exactly why he has begun to garner interest throughout the league.
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Alex Caruso keeps popping up in trade rumors
General managers across the league already know how much value Caruso provides.
Per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, multiple teams have inquired about him, including the Warriors and Knicks. Steve Kerr is a fan — he was seen on a broadcast earlier this season embracing Caruso and appearing to tell him that he'd love to have him. Meanwhile, the Knicks have been spotted scouting Caruso in-season, according to Johnson.
Caruso has also been an extremely popular fake trade target among the media. ESPN's Zach Lowe has spitballed a Warriors trade involving James Wiseman and a first-round pick on his podcast. The Ringer's Michael Pina suggested a swap with the Pelicans for Kira Lewis Jr., Jaxson Hayes and future draft capital.
(If you're wondering how viable these trades are, check out Will Gottlieb's evaluation at CHGO.)
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports has mentioned rumblings of the Bulls seeking two future first-round picks for Caruso on his podcast. That may seem like a high price to pay for a role player, but there's no other guard in the league that can do what he does defensively.
Why is Alex Caruso such a popular trade deadline target?
Alex Caruso is a lockdown one-on-one defender
Caruso might be the best one-on-one defender in the league. When games slow down during the playoffs and teams resort more to isolation-heavy basketball, Caruso takes those challenges head-on.
In his past four seasons, Caruso's on-ball defense has never graded out at lower than an A-, per stats at BBall Index.
Alex Caruso has been an elite defensive guard since he became a rotation player in 2020. pic.twitter.com/2IOmU8T6KS
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) February 1, 2023
Alex Caruso is a turnover-generating machine
Simply put, Caruso wreaks havoc when he's on the floor.
His 5.6 deflections per 36 minutes lead the league by a wide margin, per NBA Stats. He's second in the league in steals per 36 minutes. He has extremely active hands and can mirror the movements of the player that he's guarding better than anyone in the league.
Caruso is also one of the best players in the league at drawing offensive fouls. He takes a lot of charges, ranking in the top 20 in the league, and he also gets under the skin of opponents to goad them into mistakes. Big men are constantly setting illegal screens against him because of how attached he stays to his man.
Alex Caruso is surprisingly switchable
Caruso does not have great size, but the Bulls have consistently put him on four different positions (point guard through power forward). He has very capably shut down quick guards like Stephen Curry, athletic wings like Paul George and strong forwards like Julius Randle.
Mashup of Caruso's defense on Randle tonight. Randle was killing the other Bulls. Caruso guarded him by far the best despite being the smallest guy that they threw on him. pic.twitter.com/5Ol1obYn2L
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 22, 2021
Caruso has even held his own against some of the biggest players in the league like Kristaps Porzingis. There's no matchup that he won't take.
Alex Caruso's defensive impact goes well beyond blocks and steals
Caruso grades out as one of the best defenders in the league in a number of different all-in-one defensive metrics.
SHNORP, a composite ranking that blends DARKO, EPM, LEBRON, BPM and VORP, has Caruso tied with Draymond Green as the second-most impactful defender in the league. Caruso and Green are behind only Jaren Jackson Jr.
FiveThirtyEight's RAPTOR metric has Caruso at No. 1.
Alex Caruso is limited offensively, but he knows his role
Caruso isn't really capable of creating an advantage for himself or others, but he's good at moving the ball and spotting up from deep.
He's hitting 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers this season on low volume, just enough to keep teams honest if they try to sag off him. He's also a great screener and a good athlete that will surprise people with the occasional dunk.
Caruso won't get you buckets in a pinch at the end of the shot clock, but he also isn't damaging like many other defensive specialists in the league.
Alex Caruso contract details
Another part of the appeal with Caruso is his contract. He is on a very reasonable deal, earning $9 million in 2022-23, $9.5 million in 2023-24 and $9.9 million in 2024-25 with $3 million of that final year guaranteed.
Caruso is the 149th-highest paid player in the league this season, according to Spotrac, which makes the prospect of matching salaries in trades much easier than with some bigger names.
Every team could use a lockdown defender when teams start playing even more heavily through their stars during the playoffs. Caruso is that guy, and he can help a contender get over that final hump.
