Alex Caruso may win all the headlines for the NBA Finals, but his former Chicago Bulls teammate has been cut above him.
The Oklahoma City Thunder added their final release to the roster this offseason when they traded for Caruso. The veteran two-way guard offers teams a highly lacking experience before their arrival.
Caruso landed was not easy. Because Thunder had to give up Josh Giddy, a bright outlook in trade with the Chicago Bulls.
In most cases, the transaction worked well for both sides. Caruso has already stepped up the great OKC Thunder defense. On the other side, Giddey became the foundational work for the Bulls to accumulate.
But Jeff Teague believes the Bulls didn’t lose much in the deal as they already have a player who does everything Caruso does.
Jeff Teague was talking about the 2025 NBA Finals in the latest episode of his “Club 520” podcast. During his conversation with the panel, Teague had an interesting view of Alex Caruso.
After comparing Caruso’s former teammate Lonzo Ball to Ty Halliburton, Teague declared that Lonzo was much more similar to Caruso and that he did the same thing better.
“Lonzo seems like a hurtful version of Tyrese Haliburton. He plays him like Tyrese Haliburton, but Lonzo is really like a better Caruso.
“He can protect one to five. He wasn’t really a big scorer. He has three at times.
Caruso and Lonzo, who have similar playing styles, may be the result of two independent stints as teammates. Both players shared the locker room as up-and-coming figures for the Los Angeles Lakers.
And in 2021 they both signed lucrative contracts to play for the Chicago Bulls. The two immediately influenced the franchise and even helped to be the head of the Eastern Conference before the injury derailed the season.
Lonzo Ball’s 2021 injury was so severe that he was forced to miss multiple seasons when he tried to recover. This really threw a wrench at the piece for the Bulls who added Lonzo to the roster in hopes of competition.
He returned to the team after a long spell this season. And this season, Rushi, who left the court, showed he averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
But all hope is not lost as the Bulls re-signed the point guard to a two-year, $20 million deal. Former Bulls star Randy Brown believes Lonzo could become the bull’s much-needed point guard.
There have been several tweets that Lonzo could potentially trade with the Mavericks. Strangely enough, Ball even advised the Mavericks on how to navigate possible movements of Giannis Antetocomo.
Was this a sign that Ball was reading his future tea leaves and preparing himself for a better situation in Dallas? perhaps. But with all the chaos in the NBA, we need to see what Lonzo’s future holds.