NBA rumors: Alex Caruso untouchable, Kyle Kuzma's trade price tag, Alec Burks rising trade value

NBA Rumors: Alex Caruso untouchable

The Chicago Bulls have had an up-and-down year. They've played better following their abysmal 5-14 start to the season, but they sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-23 record. They'd be a part of the Play-In Tournament if the season ended today, but with them being the ninth seed they'd have to win two games just to make it to the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed and face either the Celtics or Bucks in the first round.

The Bulls are a team that has some potential thanks to stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but things just haven't worked out for them in recent years. They've made the playoffs just once in the last six years and haven't won a playoff round since the 2014-15 season. That was back when players like Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah were in Chicago and Tom Thibodeau was their head coach.

This season's Bulls team has a first-round exit as its ceiling, which is demoralizing. Their stars don't have much trade value since DeRozan is in the final year of his deal and LaVine's contract is seen as somewhat of an albatross. That leaves their highest-valued player as Alex Caruso whose all-around play can really help a championship contender, but is also a player Chicago covets.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Caruso is pretty much untouchable, which is mind-boggling considering the fact that this Bulls team is going nowhere. They can land at least a first-round pick and likely more for the 29-year-old, but they understandably value him a ton.

"The most sought-after commodity on the Bulls’ roster is still Alex Caruso. The Sun-Times has reported throughout the season that Caruso was deemed almost untouchable, and a source indicated that hasn’t changed."

Caruso is so valuable thanks to his contract and ability to help in so many different ways on the court. He's a terrific and versatile defender who is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field this season and 41.5 percent from 3-point range. He's making just $9.4 million this season and $9.89 million next season. A bargain for his level of play. It's understandable that Chicago values him highly, however, making him untouchable when their team is going nowhere is certainly a choice.