The season is once again going south for the Chicago Bulls. If the team does not right the ship anytime soon, the Bulls could be well on their way to a massive fire sale of assets later in the season. One player that a boatload of teams — which include the Heat, Bucks, Lakers, Warriors, and Sixers, among others — reportedly have their sights set on is Alex Caruso.

Last week, Zach LaVine and the Bulls reportedly opened the idea of potential trades that would send the All-Star guard out of Chicago. However, it's been Caruso that has garnered the attention of several teams around the league. In fact, NBA reporter Marc Stein recently said on his #thisleague UNCUT podcast that the line of teams wanting to get on the Carushow wagon would reach double digits.

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints noted that several teams are targeting Caruso because of his “winning impact” while also on a team-friendly $9.5 million price tag this season. With that said, here are the three best destinations for Alex Caruso should the Bulls make him available in a trade.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks is probably the team that needs to trade for Alex Caruso badly.

Even though they're tied for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 7-4, the Bucks have started their 2023-24 season in underwhelming fashion. Understandably, Milwaukee entered the campaign with lofty expectations after they landed Damian Lillard this offseason and paired him with Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the Bucks have yet to meet those expectations so far.

Perhaps the most glaring concern for Milwaukee is its horrendous defense. The Bucks currently rank 24th in defensive rating. That's a far cry from the team that finished 4th in that department last season and has been in the top 10 over the last five years. The Bucks essentially traded defense for offense when they shipped off Jrue Holiday to bring in Lillard. But not many expected the drop off to be this much.

Milwaukee's defensive woes primarily stem from its lack of a legitimate point-of-attack defender. That's where Caruso comes into the picture. The defensive specialist essentially replaces everything Holiday brought to the table on that end of the floor. He would be a perfect player to slot alongside Damian Lillard in the backcourt and he's also a massive upgrade over their designated (and supposed) POA defender Malik Beasley.

Trading for Caruso may be a challenge, however, considering the Bucks' scarcity of draft assets. Perhaps Milwaukee's best bet is moving on from second-year guard MarJon Beauchamp. It's unfortunate because Beauchamp is showing strides of growth this season. But if the Bucks want to get Caruso to maximize their chances of winning a championship this season, this might be the move they need to make.

Philadelphia 76ers

Another Eastern Conference contender who should trade for Alex Caruso is the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have also been linked to Zach LaVine. But they may be better off targeting Caruso instead.

Tyrese Maxey is proving to be a terrific co-star for reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid. Maxey's jump this season is already warranting All-Star consideration. As long as he keeps up this level of play, the Sixers should remain top contenders in the East.

While LaVine's offensive talent would be great, Caruso fits more of what the Sixers need. The Bald Mamba should be a solid guard to pair alongside Maxey in the backcourt. De'Anthony Melton is playing great in that role so far, but Caruso is a superior defender who can put the opposing team's best perimeter player in hell. Melton, as pesky as he is on the defensive end, isn't doing that.

Caruso is also an efficient shooter from beyond the arc, though he doesn't shoot the three at a significant volume. Nonetheless, the career 37 percent three-point shooter is connecting on nearly 45 percent of his triples this year.

Caruso also comes in as a much cheaper option than LaVine. With a $9.5 million price tag, Daryl Morey won't need to break the bank to acquire him. Whereas LaVine costs $40 million this season. Philadelphia could get away with sending over a package of Danuel House Jr. and Forkan Korkmaz along with draft picks.

Moreover, LaVine is still owed $138 million over the next three seasons, which would limit Philadelphia's ability to land another star in the offseason. As such, Caruso makes more sense since he brings in a need, comes in cheaper, and provides the Sixers flexibility in the future.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rectify one of their biggest mistakes this decade — letting Alex Caruso walk in the summer of 2021. While Los Angeles expressed their interest in acquiring Zach LaVine, they are also looking to get the Lakers fan favorite back in Tinseltown.

With the team's weaknesses right now, Caruso will be an even greater fit with the Lakers now than he has ever been. Los Angeles ranks just 19th in defensive rating this season and a lot of that has to do with their lack of a point-of-attack defender from the guard position. D'Angelo Russell doesn't fit the job description at all. Austin Reaves is decent at best, but he isn't locking anybody up. Cam Reddish is great, but is he going to be reliable enough in a playoff setting?

With that said, trading for Caruso just makes sense for the Lakers — even more so than trading for LaVine. We've already seen how he meshes with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He was an instrumental piece who helped Los Angeles win its 17th title in franchise history.