Alex Caruso called Atlanta Hawks’ ‘ambitious trade target’ for this summer

The Atlanta Hawks have a lot of questions about their roster heading into the summer and they will likely reshape it in one way or another. One of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray seems likely to be traded this summer, Atlanta won the draft lottery and now owns the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, and other players such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter could also be on the move. It’s likely that Atlanta will look like a much different team when the season begins next October.

Whether Atlanta traded Murray or Young, they will need to prioritize improving their defense. Whether on the wing, at center or at guard, Atlanta needs better defenders. One guy who would make a lot of sense, especially next to Young, would be Bulls guard Alex Caruso. Caruso is a fantastic defender at the point of attack and would instantly improve the Hawks’ perimeter defense and make it less easy for opponents to chase down Young on defense. Recently, Bleacher Report analyst Grant Hughes ranked Caruso as the top “ambitious” trade candidate for the Hawks this offseason:

The Atlanta Hawks appear likely to destroy the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt, but it’s unclear which of the two guards is more likely to leave. If it’s Murray who ends up leaving via trade, Atlanta should focus on backing Young with the best defensive running mate possible.

That sounds like Alex Caruso, an All-Defensive honoree each of the last two seasons.

Caruso’s current team, the Chicago Bulls, already has Coby White in place at point guard. This means a Murray-Caruso trade would make no sense. Atlanta could send Murray to a destination with a greater need for his services and redirect some assets to the Bulls in a package for the star tailback.

No guard who played at least 25 games last season posted a higher defensive plus/minus rating than Caruso, who is one of the few backcourt players whose impact comes close to that of the big man protector of painting generally more valuable. His ability to disrupt the point of attack, blow up screening plays and force opposing ball carriers out of their spot can change the outcome of entire games.

Murray overlapped more than expected with Young, and the Hawks didn’t look different enough after adding him at the 2023 trade deadline. Caruso would make a more fundamental change to Atlanta’s roster, adding an element of predatory defense that simply did not exist.”

A Caruso trade would be interesting for the Hawks, but I don’t know what the Bulls would want or expect to get back. Caruso has a pretty cheap contract for a player of his caliber, but he has an expiring contract. In the past, there were rumors that teams were interested in trading for Caruso, but the Bulls have been too reluctant thus far and have been inclined to be more competitive. Would Caruso want to sign an extension there or wait until he becomes a free agent? Atlanta shouldn’t want to give up too much as his contract expires, but they are also limited in terms of draft capital. There’s also no ideal trade for Caruso to the Hawks. Atlanta should absolutely check on his availability, but a trade could prove difficult.