While the New York Knicks certainly have pressing problems of their own to solve at the moment, that doesn't mean members of their front office can't watch the rest of the NBA Playoffs as they unfold. And, if they've happened to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder in either of their two wins over the Phoenix Suns, they might have gotten a chuckle out of seeing Alex Caruso contribute to those efforts.
The 32-year-old guard, who's contributed to both victories as one would imagine – with his defense, without demanding the ball – was a Knicks trade target before he got moved to OKC. The Chicago Bulls rebuffed offers from teams like the Knicks and Sacramento Kings, who primarily offered draft capital, in favor of landing someone they felt they could build around in Josh Giddey.
With the 31-51 Bulls finishing as the 12th seed, and relieving their front office of their duties in the process, it's clear things haven't been working out too well. After getting over the frustration of a contender in Oklahoma City landing him in exchange for a player that they were certainly looking to move, New York and Sacramento's braintrusts probably don't mind how that situation has played out thus far.
Knicks' roster could look much different if Bulls wanted picks for Caruso
It was reported by K.C. Johnson of NBCS Chicago that the Knicks felt their offer for the defensive specialist was better than Oklahoma City's.
“League sources indicated that the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings both offered draft capital to the Bulls in packages they felt were superior to the one-for-one deal. The Athletic previously reported the Kings’ offer that featured the 13th overall pick in this week’s NBA Draft,” Johnson wrote in June 2024.
Later that month, the Knicks agreed to their blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. And instead of just a couple of first round picks, they moved five to land the two-way wing that had shown an ability to impact winning with, or without, the basketball in his hands.
New York's offseason would have gone on much differently if they were able to land Caruso. Later that same summer, they used a first-round pick to sweeten a swap of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns.
The package they sent in return for either player likely would have been affected by the ripple effect of picks being sent to Chicago. But more importantly, they more than likely wouldn't have been able to "afford" the high prices for both Bridges and Towns if they had already coughed up a pair of first-round draft selections in a trade with the Bulls.
We don't know exactly how things would have played out for the Knicks, but we do know they haven't gone well at all for the Bulls. That's not much consolation for a team looking to win its first title in over 50 years, but it can certainly remind fans of just how many "alternate NBA universes" there are.
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