Untouchable 3-and-D guard listed as ‘Top 3’ Pacers trade target
By Jack Simone
The Indiana Pacers already made their big trade deadline swing. They just decided to make it a few weeks prior to the actual February 8 date.
They made a huge move for Pascal Siakam, shipping out Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks in exchange for the two-time All-NBA forward.
He’ll now pair with Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana to form a two-All-Star duo on the Pacers, who will be looking to push for the postseason for the first time since trading for Haliburton.
However, while they’ve already made a huge trade, they could still decide to add more pieces at the deadline, especially if they want to win now.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article detailing the “Top 3” trade targets for every team in the league, and one of the players he mentioned for the Pacers was Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
“If they hope to keep climbing the ladder, though, they need to upgrade their 27th-ranked defense,” Buckley wrote.
“It's a big enough issue that Indy could consider an aggressive move for Caruso, who won't be easy to lure out of the Windy City. If the Pacers pool their assets, though, they could give Chicago something to think about.”
Caruso, fresh off an All-Defense First Team nod last season, has improved his three-point stroke this year, making him one of the best 3-and-D guards in the league.
So far this season, he’s averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 49.0% from the field and 41.5% from behind the three-point line.
However, the Bulls aren’t necessarily looking to reset the roster, and because of that, they have made Caruso close to untouchable.
“The most sought-after commodity on the Bulls’ roster is still Alex Caruso,” wrote Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The Sun-Times has reported throughout the season that Caruso was deemed almost untouchable, and a source indicated that hasn’t changed.”
Next. 3 Trade targets for Pacers to form Big 3 with Haliburton, Siakam. 3 Trade targets for Pacers to form Big 3 with Haliburton, Siakam. dark
Adding Caruso to the mix would be a huge get for the Pacers, especially after trading Brown in the Siakam deal, but based on the Bulls’ thoughts on the matter, it may be a tough trade to pull off.