The NBA trade deadline came and went, but the Golden State Warriors didn’t engage in any deals despite various trade rumors surrounding the franchise. However, according to a recent report from NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Johnson reports that the Warriors reached out to the Chicago Bulls in an attempt to acquire guard Alex Caruso. The two teams had various exploratory talks, but the Bulls just weren’t interested in what the Warriors had to offer.
Reportedly, Chicago was interested in making a deal only if the Warriors were willing to include forward Jonathan Kuminga. Golden State, on the other hand, viewed Kuminga as untouchable and preferred to center the package on young shooting guard Moses Moody.
Caruso has been in fine form this season, playing great defense as usual while averaging career-highs in points (9.8) and rebounds (3.8), alongside 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals. He drew interest from various other teams besides the Warriors, but the Bulls didn’t want to let him leave in a deal that would make their roster less competitive.
“We didn’t see anything that was going to make us better,” Bulls’ vice president Artūras Karnišovas explained after the NBA trade deadline concluded. “We would take a step back, which we don’t want. We want to stay competitive.”
